Confessions of a Dying Heart
by EroSenin'sDeciplesKJT
Summary: Naruto has been keeping secrets about his past from everyone. Now that his heart is breaking in two, he finally confides in someone about his feelings for another man. He also has a diary of untold secrets that Jiraiya finds. Why did Sasuke let him live?
1. Chapter 1

Jiraiya sat at his desk in the inn and sighed. It had been almost a year since he'd returned to the village permanently and although he had all the inspiration he needed to write a new romance novel, for some reason it just wasn't enough this time. He'd snuck into the ladies spa day after day studying each woman closely. Even so, he just wasn't into it right now. He glanced over his shoulder and eyed the bed behind him dreamily. It would just be so easy to climb in bed and take a nap but he was determined to at least jot down some notes for a new story. Right now though, he had no idea where to begin. He slid the chair back from his desk and stood to his feet. He stretched out his arms and let out a loud yawn before walking over to the window. He spotted Naruto sitting under a tree writing something in his journal.

"Hey Naruto! Shouldn't you be somewhere training?" he hollered.

"Aye, pervy sage. I'm just not in the mood right now," he muttered. Jiraiya sighed and shook his head. Ever since they'd returned from their last mission without Sasuke, Naruto had been acting stranger than usual. He had even started tkeeping a journal of some sort and though tempted to steal it and read from it, Jiraiya could never stoop so low as to read his pupil's private thoughts. Jiraiya leaped from the window of the inn and landed softly next to Naruto. He sat down on the ground next to him and stared up at the sky.

"Pervy sage, how's your smut coming along?"

"Not too good Naruto. I just…even though you and I got loads of pictures and dialog the last time, for some reason I can't get into it anymore."

"Maybe you should try writing about something else other than straight smut." Naruto never looked up but continued to write in his journal, pausing only momentarily to dip his quill in some ink.

"Any suggestions?" Jiraiya asked. His eyebrows rose curiously towards the handsome blonde.

"Well…I'm no expert at smut but why don't you write something that appeals to all in terms of sexuality?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto let out a laugh before closing his journal.

"I mean yuri or yaoi. Yes, I know this idea seems gross to you but you didn't have a problem using my harem jutsu that I taught you to make out with women in the hot spring last week. You may be a man but you were in a woman's form so don't even try to talk yourself out of it." Naruto folded his arms across his chest glaring defiantly at his master. Before long, Jiraiya let out a loud laugh.

"Wow Naruto. And I thought _I_ had a sick and twisted sense of humor. Just who in this village would read and buy such a thing? There are no rainbow freaks in this village," he said trying hard not cry from all of his laughing. When he finally managed to stop laughing, he realized that Naruto looked insulted, almost sad even. "Hey. Naruto, I was only kidding. I know that some of the guys in the village are…you know. Iruka has been that way for years yet he's been in denial all this time."

"Oh…yeah," Naruto said laughing nervously. He leaned back against the tree and stared up at the sky. "Hey pervy sage?"

"Yes?"

"What's wrong with me?"

"What do you mean?" he asked. He wrinkled his brow as he eyed the young blonde curiously. _Here he goes again….acting all strange…_

"Am I that…unlovable?" he asked softly.

"Huh? Whoa! Time out Naruto…What do you mean by 'unlovable'?"

"I just…" Naruto sat up and stared at his sensei. He had been longing to tell someone his real feelings for ages now but who would understand? He hoped that he was making the right decision by opening up to his sensei but this was really wearing heavily on his chest and there was no one else.

"Go ahead Naruto. As your sensei it is my job to do everything I can for you and protect you no matter what. What's been going on with you? Ever since the last mission failed, you have been acting weirder than usual. There's nothing wrong with being the quiet, mature Naruto that we all wish to see, but at the same time, being that nerdy, knuckleheaded ninja is what makes you who you are."

"Sensei, I…I think I am in love with someone or _someones_ rather and I think that someone is in love with me, but for some reason I don't think my love is enough to bring him home." Naruto lowered his head, letting a tear roll down his cheek in the process.

"Not enough to bring him…wait a second! You don't mean that you…you and…but you two HATE each other!" Jiraiya said frowning. _Boy, I wasn't expecting this. So he's bi after all…_

"That's the problem sensei. When he left the village the first time, I honestly didn't know what to think until I woke up in the hospital."

"Huh?"

"Well…he left me alive. He _let_ me live. He was supposed to kill me but he didn't. Well, he _did_ kill me but he never finished me off."

"I see where you're going with this Naruto but there's just no way Sasuke could be in love with you. Everyone knows he has a thing for Sakura…"

"Bullshit. He told me himself he never liked her," Naruto huffed. "In fact, Sakura knows this which is why I've seen her and Ino hanging out more frequently."

"Whoa! Are you…? Are they…" Naruto just shrugged his shoulders and leaned back against the tree. "Well…never mind them. What about Sasuke? Are you in love with him?"

"I…don't know," he answered softly. "I do know this: something is wrong about his situation with Orochimaru. I never told you and Sakura this but Sasuke and I were alone in that cave for quite sometime."

"And you _still_ couldn't defeat him?! Even after all that we've done?"

"No! I mean, I don't know! Look, he said…some things that made me wonder…I can't explain this to you right now alright! Maybe it was a mistake opening up to you." He stood up to leave but Jiraiya pulled him back down to the ground.

"Stay here and talk to me. I wasn't…I didn't mean anything by it. All I want to know is the truth. The way it sounds to me Naruto, is that you _let_ Sasuke go." Naruto continued to stare at the ground and moments passed before he finally answered.

"Hai…I let him go," he whispered.

"Oh…well…it's ok."

"No, it's not ok," Naruto cried, choking back tears. "It's all my fault that Sakura is suffering and it's my fault that Orochimaru…"

"No it's not…" Naruto jumped to his feet and sprinted off towards the forest, leaving Jiraiya behind. The sanin stood to his feet and was about to go after Naruto when he noticed that the small notebook that Naruto had been writing in had been left behind.

All doubts about not reading it had long vanished after his conversation with Naruto.

"Let's see what's going on with you and Sasuke." Jiraiya sat back down under the tree. He leaned back and opened the journal. _March 5…_

* * *

**AN**_ I was going to make this an angsty/humorous ONESHOT but I can actually make a pretty good story off of this, but I dunno. It depends on you people. You review and tell me what you think and I might continue. Anyway, I got the idea after watching Naruto re-runs, more specifically "Th Valley of the End" when those two finish their battle. Yes, there may be slash in this but don't expect it to be great. I'm no expert at slash but I am about to find out if I can do it. Also just because the heading says it's Sasuke/Naruto does NOT mean they will end up together so don't get all pissy when they don't. Anyway...review...flame...whatever. We welcome all xD _


	2. Chapter 2

_**March 5**_

_Today something weird happened between me and Sasuke. I can't really explain it but it seems that we've gotten closer somehow. I guess all this pressure to please Kakashi-sensei and show him that we are great ninja is helping a lot. Even Sakura had to acknowledge our hard work. When we came inside from training she rushed to both our sides to make sure we were ok. Of course, she spent most of dinner time praising Sasuke and telling me to grow up but at least we're making progress. If that Zabuza freak decides to show his face again we'll be ready with or without Kakashi's help._

"Zabuza?"_Has Naruto been keeping a journal all this time?_ Jiraiya wasn't 100 percent certain but he could have sworn he heard Naruto mention fighting Zabuza back when he was just a genin. _If that's the case then his journal is close to four years old._ Jiraiya glanced back down at the journal and started flipping through pages. It seemed pretty well used. Over half the pages had already been used and some had weird drawings on them. _This seems like a pretty normal journal for a boy. Should I keep reading?_ Jiraiya turned the page and found the next entry. _"I think I saw Sasuke blush today…"_

"Oh this might be pretty funny," Jiraiya chuckled. "A few more won't hurt me." And so he continued to read.

_**March 6**_

_Sasuke gets on my nerves! I can't stand him! Why won't he get a grip? It is not my fault that I am a quick learner. The loser. Ok. So maybe I don't really think Sasuke's a loser. He's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. I don't know what it's like to have a brother but secretly I think of him as a sibling. I think what we have could be called a sibling rivalry. We're always trying to outdo one another. I suppose this is a good thing. It's making me a better ninja. Someday I'll be better than Sasuke. Ha! Yeah! I'll be better than him and…Sasuke just looked over my shoulder. He's trying to see what I'm writing. Ha. I think he's mad. Serves him right. He's been keeping a journal for a long time, a lot longer than me and so whenever I tried to see what he was writing he would throw knives at me. I got my journal yesterday when I followed that weird crying kid to town with Sakura. Ever since then, Sasuke's been eyeing me funny and trying to see what I've written. Now he knows what it feels like. --_

_**March 10**_

_For the past couple of days, I have woken up and Sasuke has been gone. I'd go downstairs to eat but he'd already be gone. The jerk! He was trying to out do me. So you know what I did? I had a shadow clone stay up all night and watch him. My clone woke me up after Sasuke left this morning. The loser got up at 5am! Even though I was still sleepy, I got dressed and went after him because dammit I am determined to be better than him. So I found him training deep in the woods where we had been doing our chakra control practice. I stood behind a tree and watched him throw kunais at trees with his eyes closed. Of course, he didn't land all the targets but he got pretty close. I was so amazed that I forgot about being stealthy and ran up to him to praise him. He turned to me and I…well it looked to me as if he blushed. Yes. I think I saw Sasuke blush today but maybe…I dunno. Sasuke's weird. One minute he's calling you a loser and the next he's all…humble. All I said was "Sasuke, that was amazing!" I ran up to him and touched his shoulder and his face turned red. He mumbled a thanks and there was a funky awkward silence. Oh well. I suppose it was nothing. Still no word from Zabuza but that Tazuna kid has been acting weirder than usual. Oh well. _

_**March 11**_

_Oh man! Today was just full of surprises. I never mentioned this weird guy I ran into while I was training with Sasuke. Truth be told I swear he looked like a girl. He was just too pretty but that's not the point. The point is it turns out that this guy really was working for Zabuza. It was Haku and man did he put a hurting on Sasuke and me…well more so Sasuke than me. We were out and about but then Zabuza attacked. Actually, I was asleep. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi left me in bed while they watched over the bridge builder. I can't believe they left me behind! They know how much I hate being left out! -- Turns out I had to rescue them today since I found them in a bit of a jam. I found Sasuke trapped behind some weird ice crystal jutsu. I went inside to help him and ended up getting trapped myself. At one point it looked pretty hopeless but we leaf shinobi never give up. But…the thing is we both could have been killed today. Today, I found out what it really meant to be a shinobi. Sasuke…saved my life…sort of. There were these needles and he jumped in front of me. I got mad and yelled at him for saving me. I thought he was dying and I started to cry. I think I started crying because there were so many things that I had been dying to say to him but my pride wouldn't allow it. When I saw him laying there motionless I felt like my heart had been ripped out. That's when the strangest thing happened. My body felt like it was on fire but I felt stronger than ever before. Somehow I managed to stop that Haku kid and Kakashi sensei beat the crap out of Zabuza. At the end of the day, our mission was a success and even though we helped rid the world of one of the most notorious villains, I can't help but to think about Sasuke. The sad expression on Sakura's face was just too much to bear. I hope I never have to see that look again. Starting tomorrow I am going to train harder than ever to protect my comrades. I want to be like Kakashi and never let my comrades fall before me. That's a new nindo for me._

"Hey Jiraiya!" The sanin quickly closed Naruto's book and set it aside.

"Kakashi! Um…what's up?"

"Jiraiya I know that you've been super busy but seriously, you need to get a move on. I need more smut to read!"

"Oh…well I am working on something…um…different this time so the research is taking a lot longer." Kakashi's face went pale as he stared at the older man.

"I hope you're not…tell me you're not…"

"It's still going to be a romance novel. Sheesh. But it's going to have a new flair to it. Anyway, I am glad you stopped by. Something has been brought to my attention and I want to ask you some things."

"Alright. What's it about?"

"Sasuke…and Naruto."

"Alright. What do you want to know?"

"Uh…well…before Sasuke high tailed it out of Konoha in search of that jerk Orochimaru, did you notice any dramatic changes in his behavior?"

"Uh…I don't know. Well…yes I do now that I think about it. You see, their relationship is hard to explain because it changed from time to time. One minute they seemed alright and the next they would be at each other's throats. I think the closest I had seen them was during the time they were training for the Chunin exams."

"I see. How would you describe their relationship with Sakura?"

"Uh…wait a sec. What's with all the questions? I'm dishing out information on two former pupils yet you are not offering to give me any info. Why should I answer any more of your questions?"

"Alright…fine then. It's nothing you should worry about. I just…" He let out a sigh and stared down at the ground. "Kakashi?"

"Hmm?"

"If I told you that Team Kakashi's last mission failed because it's possible that Naruto let Sasuke go, what would you say?" he asked softly.

"I'd say you were a liar because those two hate each other but for completely different reasons. Sasuke hates Naruto because he's jealous of his natural abilities and Naruto hates Sasuke because he won't acknowledge him as his equal and come back to the village."

"Something like that but I think there's more to the story."

"By more you mean…"

"Did Sasuke ever keep a journal of some sort?" Kakashi closed his eyes and frowned.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Have you ever read from it?"

"No and I'd never do such a thing. I know coming from me that's hard to believe but Sasuke has been through a lot. His private thoughts are his and his alone."

"But what if reading that diary could help find a way to bring him back safely to the village? Would you read it then?"

"I…where are you going with this?"

"Find Sasuke's diary and you may find the real reason he left with Orochimaru."

"But we already know why."

"Yeah but I'm thinking there's more to the story. Find the diary and read it yourself."

"Who says I know where the diary is located?"

"Oh please! Don't hand me that. I'm sure it was left behind. Orochimaru would never allow him to keep one on him." Jiraiya stood to his feet and grinned. "You can find me at the hot spring doing research or in my room writing. In the meantime, I believe you have some reading to catch up on."

**--J--J--J--**

Naruto had been resting atop of a big hill just outside the village all day. He needed to get away from people so that he could think straight. Although writing in his journal was something that he enjoyed, it wasn't enough right now. He wasn't sure what he wanted or what he needed. He just wished he knew how to make the void go away. He closed his eyes and started thinking about how simple life used to be back when he was just a genin. If only things were just that great now.

"Sasuke…why'd you go?"

"I had to go Naruto. I had to go so that I could protect you."

Naruto sat up with a start, his body all wet from perspiration. He looked around wildly and saw that it was dark. _I must have fallen asleep._ He stifled a yawn as he stood to his feet and headed back towards the village. He had barely taken three steps when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around him tightly.

"HEY…WHAT THE…?"

"Don't be so loud…Naruto. Do you _want_ me to get caught?" Naruto's body just froze stiff and he closed his eyes praying that he wasn't dreaming.

"Sa…Sasuke?" he whimpered.

"Yeah, it's me," he whispered.

* * *

**AN:** _Wouldn't you like to know what happens next? Bwahahahaha Review and I might post the next chapter soon since I was in a creative mood. Sometimes the characters may seem OOC but I'm pretty sure I got them in canon just fine. -shrugs- _


	3. Chapter 3

"Don't be afraid…Naruto. I didn't come all this way just to fight. I needed to see you again," he whispered.

"You needed to…HEY WAIT A SECOND! LET ME GO YOU LOSER! LET ME…"

"Naruto why must you be so difficult? No, I won't let you go. Not until you…never mind. I'll just hold you." Naruto struggled to get away from him but Sasuke held him tightly in place completely hindering him from movement.

"Go back to Orochimaru. You left this village and you wouldn't come back with me when I found you the last two times so why the hell are you here now? You're only making things harder for people especially Sakura," Naruto spat.

"You know I could care less about Sakura. I told you she's not my type and will you seriously keep still?"

"No and I don't want to talk to you or see your face ever again," Naruto huffed.

"Well if that's the case then why did you call out to me in your sleep?" he whispered, grinning in the young blonde's ear.

"I never…HEY WAIT A MINUTE! HAVE YOU BEEN…SPYING ON ME?!" This time Naruto struggled even harder to get out of Sasuke's grip but it was no use. Sasuke only chuckled and held him tighter.

"You know, I risk my life by coming back to see you and this is the thanks that I get? You know, you really need to work on the gratitude factor." This time Naruto said nothing. In fact, he remained quiet and had even quit struggling. "That's more like it," Sasuke whispered. He loosened his grip on the young blonde before resting his head on his shoulder.

"Sasuke?"

"Hmmm?"

"What's the _real_ reason you came all this way?"

"I told you already that I wanted to see you again."

"So…so Orochimaru…"

"Has no idea that I am here or if he does, he's not doing anything about it."

"But you know that if you are caught by any of the Leaf shinobi, you're going to be in deep shit…"

"I won't get caught unless you rat me out."

"And you know that I should but for some reason, every time I get the courage to tell someone that I let you go, I chicken out."

"Well, even if you tried to tell on me, I'll be a lot harder to pin down this time Naruto. But let's skip all of that and enjoy the moment while we have the chance." Sasuke looked up at the sky and grinned. "It's been a while since we've played near this hill. The last time you and I were here together, things got pretty interesting."

"Yeah well I don't remember."

"I think you do," he whispered.

**--UU--UU--**

Naruto and Sasuke laid back and continued to watch the stars. They had been training all day and both were just too tired to head back towards the village just yet. Sasuke glanced over at Naruto who was now just about sleep. His eyes were closed and he was laying there motionless. Sasuke grinned as he thought of ways to scare the shit out of him but ended up forgetting all about that as he studied his teammate more closely. He watched Naruto for several seconds and somehow became entranced at the way the wind glided through Naruto's hair so easily. He also took the moment to study Naruto's facial structure which was also a bit of an enchantment. Sasuke had always known that Naruto was different and he was pretty sure it was because of the Kyuubi but that didn't matter. The marks from his face that looked strangely like whiskers had always been an attractive feature to him.

He often wondered why people couldn't see the true beauty in Naruto. The truth is he had always thought that Naruto was the more attractive of the two but of course since Naruto acted like an idiot most of the time, a lot of people failed to notice it. Then again, he was pretty certain that he had something to do with Naruto's lack of attention too. He was always putting Naruto down even though he secretly admired the young blonde. Sasuke found himself leaning over Naruto, tracing the lines on his face where the whiskers would be. Naruto's eyes popped open and he grabbed Sasuke's arms.

"WHAT THE HELL…?"

"I knew you'd try to scare the shit out of me so I decided to strike first," he grinned. He flipped Sasuke over pinning him to the ground. "Got ya."

"Get off of me you idiot," Sasuke mumbled.

"No way! You're just mad cuz I beat you this time," he scoffed. Naruto waited on Sasuke to make a retort of some sort but there was nothing. Sasuke never said a word. Naruto looked into the eyes of his friend and saw that he was staring at him strangely. "Sa…Sasuke? Are you…?" Sasuke grinned up at him before grabbing hold of Naruto's shoulders flipping him over. This time however, things didn't go so well. Sasuke had not realized that they were nearing the edge of the hill and when he flipped Naruto over, both began rolling down the hill.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH! SASUKE LET ME GO!!"

"No….way…I'm….going to let you win…" Both landed at the bottom of the hill after being stopped by a tree in which they hit hard with a thud.

"Aw man Sasuke that…"

"It doesn't matter because I still win." Naruto groaned when he noticed that Sasuke was still on top pinning him to the ground.

"Fine. You win this time but you're still a loser and second best in the village. I'll always be better than you," Naruto sulked. Sasuke just grinned.

"You know, you look cute when you sulk. I wish you could see yourself, lips all poked out. You've got to be the biggest baby I've ever met."

"Yeah whatever man. Just get off of me."

"No," he teased. "I think I'll stay here for a while."

"Fine then," Naruto smirked. "If my reputation is going to be ruined then yours will too."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sasuke asked frowning.

"Awe come on! I know you know that people gossip about us. The guys all think you're gay because you're far too pretty for your own good. Of course, they'd never say that around Sakura and Ino."

"Hmm…well what do you think Naruto?"

"About what?" He was no longer grinning and was staring at Sasuke looking confused as ever.

"About me. What are your thoughts about me?"

"Well," he started nervously, wrinkling his brow but Sasuke only laughed.

"Go ahead. I'm not going to beat you up. I just want to know what you think."

"Alright then. Well…I have to agree with the guys in the sense that you are just a pretty boy. You act all cool to get the attention of the girls which makes the guys jealous. So naturally they are going to talk bad about you because they don't know you like I know you."

"I see. So to you I'm just a pretty boy?"

"Yes…no…hey what's with the questions all of a sudden? You've never cared about my feelings before. Why do you care now?" Naruto huffed.

"Calm down loser. I was just asking. Besides, you're the one that brought it up. So I guess your rep is going to be ruined if we're caught like this since I'm already into guys," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah well if I'm going down then I might as well go down big." He grinned up at Sasuke before licking the top of his nose playfully. Instead of making Sasuke mad however, he only made the pretty boy anxious.

"Don't start something you can't finish Naruto."

"Yeah well what would you do if you were pinned to the ground by a pretty boy?" he snapped. He was now starting to get slightly annoyed with Sasuke especially since his behavior was rather…strange.

"What would I do? Hmmm…I suppose I'd play along." He lowered his head and nipped at Naruto's ear playfully making the young blonde anxious as well. Naruto loved a challenge and no matter what kind it was, Sasuke could always count on Naruto to make things interesting. Sasuke looked down and saw the playful hunger in his eyes. "What are you going to do now…Naruto?" he smirked. Sasuke lowered his head once more but before he could do anything Naruto pushed him aside quickly then stood to his feet.

"Uh…hey…Sakura…um…what's up?" Naruto asked nervously. Sakura just stared at the scene before her with a wry grin on her face.

"Were you two actually getting along?" she asked happily.

"Uh…well…"

"No, we weren't," Sasuke answered as he stood to his feet. He frowned at Naruto before walking off.

"What's with him?" Sakura asked.

"I have no idea," Naruto answered before walking off in the direction of the village.

**--UU--UU--**

"Oh…yeah…I remember," Naruto said softly.

"That was one of the first times we actually…how do I say this…oh yes, I think we sort of bonded," he grinned.

"Yeah well you got an attitude with me after Sakura came along. You stayed mad at me for a week," he sulked.

"That's because I hate being interrupted."

"But we weren't doing anything."

"Maybe…but we were getting close."

"I don't know…"

"You know you enjoyed it," he whispered. "And just to prove it to you…" He spun Naruto around quickly before knocking him down and pinning him to the ground.

"AHHH! CUT IT OUT!" Naruto screamed.

"You have got to learn to be quieter otherwise I won't be able to come see you anymore."

"I don't want you to come and see me," he mumbled. Sasuke watched as Naruto poked out his lips and he couldn't help but to grin.

"You're so predictable Naruto. I suppose that's why it's so much fun teasing you."

"Go tease somebody else."

"I'd much rather tease you." He lowered his head and nipped at Naruto's neck. Naruto struggled for a hot minute but stopped just as quickly realizing that Sasuke's strength was just too much for him. He laid there motionless as his ex-teammate nipped at his neck. "Awe come now Naruto. Don't you want to play?" he whined playfully.

"Not really."

"I guess I'll have to make you." Sasuke ran his tongue in circles along Naruto's neck before trailing a path to his ear.

"Sasuke…"

"Tell me you don't miss this," he whispered running his tongue alongside the blonde's cheek. He let up on Naruto so that he could run his hands along his sides and tug at his shirt.

"Why are you doing this…Sasuke?"

"You know why," he muttered bringing his lips to Naruto's. He had barely grazed his lips when they heard voices coming toward them.

"I just know I whiffed Sasuke." It was Pacun, one of Kakashi's hounds. Sasuke pulled away from Naruto and jumped into a nearby tree.

"This is where I leave you Naruto. Until next time," he laughed before disappearing into the night. Not even a second later, Pacun and Kakashi came running up sniffing the area.

"Naruto." Kakashi ran over to him to see if he was alright. He leaned over and touched Naruto's forehead. "You're warm. You should be in bed getting some rest. Why are you out here all alone?"

"Huh? Oh…I was training earlier and I sort of fell asleep." He sat up on the ground and looked around. _So Sasuke…Was he really here?_

"Naruto, I am assuming that you've been around here for quite sometime. Kakashi and I were doing some training when I thought I whiffed Sasuke. Have you seen or heard anything since you've been out here?" Naruto just stared at the ground lost in thought. _Sasuke…why are you doing this? Why do you keep testing me like this? Is it because you love me or…_

"Naruto?"

"Huh? I'm sorry Kakashi sensei. I was…"

"It's okay Naruto. You look…did something happen to you?"

"No. I just…I got to go now. I'm supposed to train with ero senin in the morning." Kakashi watched as Naruto slowly made his way back into the village.

"Kakashi…"

"I know Pacun. Something's not right and I think it's time I took Master Jiraiya's advice."

"The diary? You really want me to tell you where it's at?" Pacun asked.

"Yeah, go and get it for me. I don't know if Sasuke's been sneaking in and out of the village but we need to get to the bottom of this. Jiraiya says Naruto has been acting weird and he thinks Sasuke is the cause of it."

"Yeah well my nose has never been wrong before so I'm certain he was here. Do I need stand watch for the night?"

"No…no, I don't think Sasuke will be back anytime soon. I don't know if Orochimaru's aware of his being here but I am more inclined to think that he knows."

"But why would he allow…"

"Because Sasuke is precious to him. He needs to keep Sasuke happy and so by letting Sasuke think that he's deceiving them is only a front. I need to read Sasuke's diary because I am now also curious as to why Naruto let him escape." Pacun nodded before disappearing to find the diary. _Hopefully things will get clearer after this._

* * *

**AN: **_You should be happy...estatic even. You managed to get two chapters out of me simply because I was in a Sasuke mood. You should note that for the record, I can't stand Sasuke but I use him a lot in other stories because love him or hate him, he's one of the most interesting people to write about. Plus, his character trips me out. Anyway...the next update...will be when I get X amount of reviews. I will start working on it and then I'll post when I get that magic number of reviews...or flames. Whichever you prefer. xD _


	4. Chapter 4

It didn't take long for Pacun to find Sasuke's diary. Ten minutes later, Kakashi was settling himself under the tree in which he found Naruto and was reliving the days in which the two rivals were driving him crazy.

**Xxxxxxx**

_Today class was a bore as usual and so I decided to take a nap. I was awakened shortly after by that Sakura chick. Yeah. So I guess I should thank her later but the way she stares at me, I'd swear she wanted to eat me for dinner or something. Anyway, she woke me up because today was the day we were assigned to our teams. Just my luck I got stuck on the team with two losers. Sakura- which I could be wrong about her but I just don't know yet and Naruto-who's definitely the world's biggest loser. We're all apart of Squad 7 but I hope they seriously don't expect me to work with them as a team. It just won't work. I am an avenger and my one and only goal in life is to find that jackass and make him pay for what he did. I hear this Kakashi guy is tough, but we'll see tomorrow._

_Xxxxxx Uchiha_

**Xxxxxxx**

_Ok. I really want to give up being a shinobi. Not really but I don't know how much longer I can stand being on the same team with Naruto and Sakura. Today, Kakashi sensei pissed me off by being two hours late for practice. To top it off, he told us not to eat anything before practice because it was supposed to enhance our abilities for the challenge. Yeah right. Liar. He gave us this stupid task that involved us getting bells from him. He wanted us come at him as if we were about to kill him. Did it work? Hell no! None of us cooperated to get the bells. Naruto kept being an idiot. Sakura kept giving away my position. And I just…I'm not good enough yet but I will be. Even though we didn't get the bells, we passed the test because we shared our food with Naruto. Yeah. Well we go on our first mission tomorrow so maybe I'll do better._

_Xxxxxx Uchiha _

**Xxxxxxx**

_Ok. I know it's been awhile since I've written in here but I caught Naruto trying to sneak and read you. The jerk. Now he has his own journal. But I will find out sooner or later what he's writing about but in the meantime I can honestly say that Sakura is kind of impressive. You see, we were attacked on the way over here to the Land of Waves and Kakashi saved us…or something like that. Actually, Naruto and I saved him using…yeah…team work. I have to say that the loser can actually do at least one thing right. His transformation jutsu has improved a lot. I am really impressed…and somewhat jealous but whatever. I have something that I've been working on too. So after the attack Kakashi sensei was injured but during his fight with that Zabuza guy, I learned that Kakashi is actually a master of the Sharingan. Why is this important? It's important because only members of my clan were gifted in the ways of the Sharingan. In fact, it's part of our kekegenki. I wonder about Kakashi…but that's something to dwell on another day. He's actually very good at using it. That Zabuza never stood a chance and I can't wait until I can use Sharingan properly. In the meantime, Kakashi sensei gave us something to work on since he can't train with us—chakra control. He showed what to do and the only one who could do it was Sakura. Yep and I am impressed. I honestly thought she was just another loser like Naruto but maybe not. Anyway, I am going to spend hours working on this technique because there is no way I'll lose to Naruto._

_Xxxxxx Uchiha_

"Anything good in there?" Pacun asked.

"Uh…well right now it's just showing the start of their rivalry. Sasuke's actually complimenting Sakura and Naruto."

"Wow. Well I think you should keep reading. In the meantime, I'm going away. I need a nap." Pacun disappeared leaving Kakashi behind._Alright…now I must continue…_

-----------XX-----------_  
_

Naruto headed back to his room and plopped down on his bed. All he could think about was Sasuke and whether or not he was really there.

"Oh Sasuke…were you really here?" he whispered into the darkness. He quickly sat up on the bed when he heard his closet door opening. "Who's there?" he asked, his voice slightly wavered. The door opened all the way and out came Sasuke smirking at him. "Sa…Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't say a word. He just continued walking towards Naruto, who was now frozen in place. The only light in the room was the moonlight seeping inside from the one window in Naruto's room. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's chin, lifting his head so that he could gaze into the beautiful blue orbs that had always fascinated him. The light from the moon made his blue eyes twinkle and illuminated his skin nicely. This sudden action from Sasuke caused Naruto to gasp but he still could not bring himself to move.

"You are probably wondering why I am still here."

"I…thought I was dreaming….earlier," he managed. Sasuke grinned at the confused blonde as he stepped even closer to him.

"You're not dreaming…Naruto. I came to see you but just my luck I was interrupted. You know how much I hate being interrupted."

"Yeah…stay…with me," he blurted out. Sasuke only lowered his head to plant a soft kiss on his nose.

"I can't."

"But why? Why are you here if you're not going to stay?"

"I…just…can't…not right now." He reached over to caress his face but Naruto pushed him away.

"Then leave," he said softly. "I don't know what you are playing at Sasuke. I have always thought of you like…but that doesn't matter," he choked. "For some reason I can't tell on you because my heart won't allow it. I have feelings for you that I can't explain but you're not apart of my life anymore. So…so I'm supposed to get over you and…but I can't if you keep coming back!" he cried.

"But you wanted to see me."

"Yeah but…"

"So I came."

"And now I'm asking you to leave."

"Not until I've said good-bye."

"Do you have any idea what you're doing to me? Everyday I sit and think about how it used to be before Orochimaru got involved. We were happy then…sort of. You and I never saw eye to eye but there was something there…"

"And it's still there Naruto. I don't hate you. I've never hated you. In fact, I have always wanted to tell you that…" Sasuke stopped mid sentence and let out a sigh. Naruto had no idea what he really felt for him. To try and make him understand would be fight in itself…but that would have to wait. A certain someone was after Naruto and he was going to do whatever it took to keep him safe, even if it meant giving him up for good someday.

"Well?" Naruto asked. He was still holding back tears and Sasuke decided it was time to cut the visit short. He hated seeing him this way but he'd have to suffer just a little while longer until he could figure some things out. He quickly jumped behind Naruto and grabbed him from behind rendering him motionless like he had done in the forest.

"You're still my friend Naruto and you mean more to me than you think, but now I think it's time you rest," he whispered in his ear.

Then he put him to sleep the same way he done Sakura. Before Naruto could hit the floor, Sasuke scooped him into his arms then placed him gently onto the bed. He leaned over and kissed Naruto's lips. "I love you…Naruto," he whispered before he headed out the window into the night.

* * *

**AN:** _For the record, I really don't care how many reviews that I get. You either like it or you don't. At the end of the day, I am writing the story for me and if you want to journey with me as I explore the wonderful world of Naruto then by all means come along. Anyway, disregard the last AN because I update when I get the chance and not necessarily when I get a set amount of reviews. Honestly if I did that then I may as well quit writing. -shrugs- Anywho, I wrote this when I was in Shakespeare last night. Go figure. If you want, review and tell me what you think. Flame if you want. I couldn't care one way or the other. In the meantime, _**J **_has posted a story for 'Harry Potter'. If you're a huge Draco fan you should def check it out. Her stuff's ALWAYS worth reading. That is all. Oh and thanks goes to everyone who reviewed the last chapters. I decided to keep the story going simply because if a few people like it then what the hell? I'll go for it._


	5. Chapter 5

**Xxxxxxx**

_Something is going on with me and I don't like it. Today when Naruto and I were practicing our chakra control, we both made it up the tree. We made it up the tree and at the same time. We climbed all the way to the top. I never thought that loser would beat me but he came pretty close. Maybe he's not the world's biggest loser after all. Whatever. So we were both climbing down our trees when all of a sudden that loser ran out of chakra. He started to fall and instead of letting that show off hit the ground, I dashed to his aid capturing him in my arms. When I landed on the ground, I looked down at him and in a weird way I liked having Naruto in my arms looking so helplessly needy. Call me weird but that's how I felt. Well needless to say Naruto had overworked hisself. He had completely diminished his chakra and his breaths were short and labored. I ended up carrying the idiot all the way back to the bridge builder's house. Before I opened the door, I stood him on his feet and forced him to open his eyes. I didn't want anyone to think that…never mind. The point is, I helped the loser today and actually felt some satisfaction out of it. I hope this never happens again._

_Xxxxxxx Uchiha_

**Xxxxxxx**

_Today was one hell of a day. We were attacked on the bridge today and…I did it again. I helped Naruto. I don't know why and as I sit here and write, I still can't tell you why. My body just…I could have died today but I did it anyway. I saved that losers life and he saved everyone else. What does this mean? Does this mean that Naruto is stronger than me? I was even able to use my Sharingan but it still wasn't enough. I never really thanked Naruto but I think he knows that I am grateful. I am still slightly annoyed that he outdid me. The fuckers are naming a bridge after him now. But that's not important. I hear that the chunin exams are starting soon and this is what really matters. Shinobi from other lands will gather and I cannot wait to show them the power of the Uchiha._

_Xxxxxxx Uchiha_

"Wow. Now that's interesting." Kakashi jumped at the sound of Jiriaya's voice.

"Jiraiya! How long…have you…?"

"Long enough to read that last page and I am glad that I was able to read it. Naruto's journal goes along with Sasuke's. The days may be off a little but they both talk about some of the same things. I just read a chapter in Naruto's about the upcoming chunin exams and he mentions how desperately he wants Sasuke's approval."

"Yeah…well they may match but I am yet to find anything that explains Naruto's behavior," Kakashi stated sounding slightly defeated.

"I think you should skip ahead a few pages and read. See if anything stands out."

"Yeah I think I'll do that but…there's something you should know."

"Alright. Spill it."

"Well…I think that Sasuke has been sneaking in and out of the village."

"What? What makes you think so?"

"Well Pacun and I were out patrolling the village working on some new techniques when Pacun says he whiffed Sasuke. Pacun's nose is never wrong so I followed him out here where we found Naruto laying on the ground. He looked sick and when I checked him out, he was burning up. Sasuke was no where to been seen but Naruto's behavior says otherwise."

"You think he'd let Sasuke get away again?"

"You said so yourself that Naruto let him go. My problem with it is that if he was going to let him go, why spend so much time chasing after him?"

"Yeah, you're right Kakashi. We're putting an end to that though. I just had a chat with Tsunade and she's agreed to let me escort Naruto to the Sand Village. He hasn't seen Gaara and the others in a while so I think this will take his mind off of Sasuke for a while."

"Yeah…I hope so."

"Well good night Kakashi."

"Hey wait…Jiraiya?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think it's possible that Naruto may have strong feelings for Sasuke? You know, more than just brotherly feelings?"

"I think…Naruto may have possibly fallen in love with Sasuke but the feeling wasn't mutual. If it was mutual then the fact that Sasuke left just shocked Naruto so that he still hasn't recovered from it. That's a sad situation for Naruto to be in. If Sasuke's just toying with him, there's no telling what Naruto will end up doing in the long run."

"Yeah…I was thinking the same thing."

-------------------------XX------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Naruto? Naruto wake up." Naruto rolled over on his side and buried his face in his pillow. For some reason, he had slept pretty damn good last night but he still wasn't in the best of moods.

"Aye ero senin I don't feel like getting up right now. I'm…tired and I'm not in the mood to do research today."

"Naruto, what's going on with you?" Naruto finally rolled over and sat up on the bed. The pervy sage was sitting on his window sill staring curiously at him.

"Nothing sensei. I just…I'm not in the mood to do anything right now."

"Yeah well I can't have you sitting around doing nothing. You're going to get out of shape and if you don't start back using that chakra of yours, the Kyuubi is going to get out of control."

"Well apparently he's dormant because I haven't had the urge to do anything but sleep so can I get back to bed now?"

"No…you have a mission," Jiraiya said flatly folding his arms across his chest.

"I though you told me that I couldn't have any missions unless you were going along?"

"I am going with you but only as an escort. I think you'll be alright where you're going."

"Uh huh. So where am I going?"

"The Sand Village. You're going to stay there for as long as it takes you to snap out of whatever it is that's eating you from the inside out."

"BUT SENSEI!"

"No buts Naruto. You won't tell me what's really going on and you mope around here like some little girl. You haven't trained in days and if you keep this up you won't be able to fight as well as you have been in the past."

"It doesn't matter," he said softly. "No matter how hard I fight, it's still not enough to bring him back home."

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Uh…nothing sensei. I'll get dressed and meet you at the gate." Jiraiya nodded as he lept off the window sill heading towards the village gate. _So he misses Sasuke…possibly loves him but why would he fight so hard for someone who doesn't love him back?_ Jiraiya shook his head, sighing as he sat down on the ground near the gate. He reached in his pocket and pulled out Naruto's journal. _Tell me something…anything!_ He opened the journal about half way and began reading.

---------------------------xx------------------------

Gaara sat at his desk staring out the window. This was pretty much what his days consisted of. Go out and see the people of the village, attend meetings, and then stay in the office until called upon by the elders. What a day. But he wasn't complaining. Ever since he's taken the job of Kazecage, things had been great. No longer did he feel left out and unimportant. He was now the most important person in the village with the biggest responsibility even in having to protect everyone. All of this and it was thanks to one person.

"Lord Kazecage." Gaara spun around in his chair and nodded as his older brother Kankuro entered the room.

"What is it Kankuro?"

"I have a message from the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village." Gaara's eyes went wide with surprise. It had been ages since he's heard from them.

"Well what is it?"

"The Hokage has asked your permission for Naruto Uzumaki to come and stay in the village for a while. She said one of the other sanin, Master Jiraiya would be escorting him here and that he would explain everything. She assures you that everything is fine. It's more or less to get Naruto out of the village for a while."

"I see. Well send a reply immediately and then alert the guards to let them pass. He can stay as long as he likes."

"Yes sir." Kankuro bowed his head before disappearing from the room. Gaara turned back in his chair once again staring out the window._Naruto Uzumaki. It's been a while but I'm glad you're coming to stay. You saved me from myself once. It's high time I settled my debt to you._

* * *

**AN: **_Don't know when the next update will be but I am pretty certain it won't be anymore this week. In the mean time, you could leave me a nice flame or review. xD That way, I'll be motivated to keep updating this fic...And I seriously think everyone should read more Harry Potter fics. They are amazing...especially the slash ones...or the SS/HG ones...or J's "Captive Heart". Uh...yeah so I know that was random but...I am random. O.O Ta Ta. Oh and BTW, tell your friends about us EroSeninsDeciples vow to give you nothing but quality xD Now peace!  
_


	6. Chapter 6

**April 7**

_I really, REALLY hate Sasuke sometimes. He just works my nerves! Everyone thinks he's so cool but if they only knew the real Sasuke. Everyone is in the Leaf Village from all over the place for this year's chunin exams. Automatically they took one look at the famous 'Uchiha' and have decided that he's the one to beat. Well I have news for them. Sasuke doesn't even train like he should anymore. He's convinced of his so called 'natural abilities'. So what he made me look bad in front of everyone today? That doesn't matter. When I face off against him at the exams I'll prove once and for all that hard work beats natural talent any day. _

**April 8**

_Today was the official start of the chunin exams and man do we have our work cut out for us. Te he he You wanna know why I'm not sweating? It's because I watched Sasuke get his ass beat by one of our fellow shinobi from the Leaf Village. He was dressed in a weird, funky green jumpsuit and he had the biggest eyebrows I'd ever seen! His name was Lee or something like that but he's going to be known as 'Bushy Brows'. The Bushy Browed dude started the fight today. You see, he came up to Sasuke and challenged him to a practice bout. At that point, I was sick of everyone wanting to know who Sasuke was and not me. So I told this punk to fight me. I am ashamed to say that he knocked me out in one blow. He was super fast and his taijutsu skills were amazing! Sasuke decided to fight him and though he was able to read Lee's moves using his Sharingan, it still didn't help him win the fight. That Busy Brow guy made an excellent point today and even pointed out Sasuke's weakness. Sasuke was not quick enough to keep up with Bushy Brow even though he could copy and read each move perfectly. Oh well. I laughed my ass off at Sasuke. I told that bastard that he needed to train more. Now he knows that everyone here means business. I learned something today as well. I went easy on ol Bushy Brow but from now on, they'll be no holding back. I'm in this to win it and become the greatest hokage ever. Believe it!_

**April ?**

_Oh man…These exams are no joke. I have had the crap kicked out of me this week but I don't look as bad as Sasuke. In fact, I don't look anything compared to him. He's been holding a spot on his neck for a while now. I'm guessing that's where he cut himself. I am kind of wishing the exams were over now. I have been beat down so bad that I haven't a clue what day it is. Sakura has been acting strange ever since we've left the forest. We are now sitting in the tower. Trying to find the other Heaven scroll was madness. I'm so glad that Kabuto was around to help. If it wasn't for him, we'd be toast by now. I'm looking around the room and there are not many teams here. I don't think anymore are going to show. All nine of the Leaf's rookies are here. I suppose I should be happy, but I'm not. I don't like half the other rookies and the only one that matters to me is Bushy Brow. Oh…and something strange happened in the Forest of Death. Sasuke and I…well, I guess you could say that we had a friendly moment. I saved that loser from a giant snake attack and the rest is pretty shady until we were attacked by some weird clones. I used my super secret technique and got us all out of a big jam. Sasuke dashed over to my side after the fight since I ended up using up most of my chakra. He helped me up and thanked me for saving everyone. It was…kind of weird. I felt all fuzzy inside…like I could hug him or something. Then he said the one thing I'd been waiting all my ninja life to hear. He said that I was the one guy he wanted to fight the most. I swear if I had been alone, I would have…I don't know. I could have cried or hugged him or something. I'm still not quite over what he said but I'm glad that he did. This only motivates me more to win all my fights so he and I can bring down the house._

**April 17**

_Okay. I AM NOW OFFICIALLY PISSED OFF! The hokage made all of us fight immediately after our adventures in the Forest of Death so now there are only 9 of us left. Sasuke won his fight but he didn't get to watch any of the other fights. He's in the hospital. So that guy from the sand village…Gaara is his name. He is FREAKY! He beat Bushy Brow without even breaking a sweat. That guy…there's some weird vibe that he gives off that I just don't know about. But the really sad part about it is that he really screwed Lee up. The doctors…said something about his not being able to ever fight again. I hope they are wrong. I hope Lee gets better and proves them wrong! The thought…all he wanted was to prove himself against Neji…his own teammate who wouldn't even acknowledge…and speaking of Neji…the BASTARD! I'LL MAKE HIM PAY FOR WHAT HE DID TO HINATA! I…when I think about the things he said to her I just wanna crush him! And you know what? Karma is a bitch because I get to fight Neji in the first match of the chunin exams. That's in 90 days and I'll be ready…No wait. I need to rephrase that. Hopefully I'll be ready because THAT DAMN PRICK KAKASHI SENSEI IS GOING TO TRAIN SASUKE AND NOT ME! Oh, wait. There's that closet perve Ebisu coming this way. I refuse to let him train me._

**April 17**

_I went by the hospital to see Sasuke tonight but he was still hooked on all kinds of equipment. He was sleeping and so I didn't want to disturb him. I left him a note telling him to find me when he got out of the hospital. I wanted to tell him the news in person about how I get to fight the so called genius. Neji. Neji. Neji. Neji. I am still trying to figure out why everyone thinks so highly of him. From what I saw during his match with Hinata, he's just a motor mouth. Hinata wasn't a match for him cuz she's just not a fighter. Plus, I think that because he was her family she really didn't want to hurt him. Damn bastard. So I think I've got a trainer now although he's really a big perve. I thought Ebisu was a perve but this guy is the real deal. But I saw him do things today that I'm sure no one else can do and I am determined to get good by training with him. It took me forever to convince him that I was serious but he finally agreed. Gahh I wish Sasuke were here. You know, I complain about him all the time but when he's not here, I'm actually pretty lonely. At least when he's here, I have someone to be with. Sakura's no fun and she spends most of her time calling me names. Sasuke…doesn't do that as much as he used to. It's weird but as I sit here and think about it, he and I have really gotten closer…I think._

**April 20**

_I worked my butt off today with the pervy sage. We spent the day working on my chakra control and you know what, it was easy! It took me ten minutes and I was walking on water like a pro. The next thing we did had to do with me learning how to harness my second chakra. Something to do with that nine-tailed fox but I didn't get it. All this talk of two different chakras was confusing. I spent two hours fighting against myself in order to use up all of my chakra and then the old coot tried to make me summon a toad. I couldn't do it…not today anyway. It's going to be even harder trying to do it everyday, especially when it feels like I don't have any chakra at all. I told ero senin this but he said that I'll have to get used to it. He says in the end it'll make me better. After practice I was so exhausted. Pervy sage let me relax at the hot spring with him and I don't know when I drifted off but when I woke up, ero senin was gone and Sasuke was sitting in front of me relaxing as well. I wanted to tell him all about my training but I was still just too tired. I think I drifted off again because when I woke up I was lying in my bed with a note on my chest. The note was from Sasuke and it…made me tear up a little. Yeah, I almost cried but if you were alone all your life and the one person that kept you sane was going away for three months, how would you feel? It didn't really hit me until I read that letter…but I suppose if ero senin keeps me busy then I won't have time to dwell on it._

"Letter huh? I wonder…" The letter that Naruto received from Sasuke had been taped to the back of the page. Jiraiya carefully unfolded the letter and began reading.

_Naruto,_

_I feel like such a girl writing you a letter but then again, you wrote me a letter first so I guess that makes you the girl. I had been looking all over for you yesterday and when I found you, you were knocked out in the hot spring. Jiraiya was going to bring you back but I told him I'll wait a while to see if you were going to wake. I have to say you are the most interesting person to watch sleep. You opened your eyes on several occasions and you even said some weird things in your sleep. I hope Sakura's never around when you're asleep. I'd hate for her to hear you say that I'm prettier than her. I guess I won't be seeing you for a while and I don't know how you feel about this but I personally think it sucks. Even though you are a loser, you're still my loser and the only person I can stand to be around. Sad isn't it? I feel like I'm losing a part of me for way too long. So I hope you don't mind but I took your favorite scarf. I figured I'd return it when I get back but only if you make it to the finals. I decided to leave you something as well and the same rule applies. You'll find it in your top drawer. Good luck and don't cry too much. _

_U. S._

Jiraiya folded the letter back and closed the journal. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the letter. The only thing he knew for certain was that Sasuke and Naruto had developed a closer friendship than most people had known about. Both were alone and had things about their past that only the two of them could possibly understand. Somehow they understood one another and had grown to develop a one of a kind friendship…or was it something more? The entries so far only revealed that the two were getting closer but it was not enough to determine intimate feelings. Of course, they were younger at the time and so any feelings they may have had were probably blind to the both of them.

"Hey sensei. You ready?" Naruto was coming up the road, his hanging low to the ground. Jiraiya quickly put the journal in the inside of his sack before nodding.

"Let's get going. Your friends are waiting for you."

* * *

**AN: Next update will be...who knows? I sure as hell don't. Not alot of action this chapter but I never said it was going to actually involve a lot of action. But some will come in due time but in the meantime...review: And maybe check out J's HP fic. It's deep, dark, angsty, you'll love it. Laterz Oh, and BTW, in case you didn't know, I do NOT own Naruto...yada yada...I am not making any money...yada yada...All I have a student loans so please don't sue.  
**


	7. Chapter 7

Kakashi watched as Jiraiya led Naruto out of the village. He had offered to go as a second escort in case the Akatsuki attempted an attack but Jiraiya insisted that he journey with Naruto alone in hopes of finding out more information. In the meantime, Kakashi decided to sit on the roof of the hospital building and read more of Sasuke's diary. He had a chat with Jiraiya earlier that morning and Jiraiya insisted that he get some more reading done. He had some holes that needed filling and Sasuke was the only person who could fill in the blanks. Kakashi opened up to a random page that had actually been dated. _I wonder why…_

**Xxxxxxx April 20**

_I never date things in my journal because I'm just too fucking lazy to do it but something interesting happened and I don't think I ever want to forget the date. So I woke up in the hospital feeling anxious and ready to train when I found a note from Naruto. It was very short and to the point. He wanted me to find him so that he could tell me some things about his upcoming training. I was more than eager to find him. I don't know why but it could have been the strange dreams I had about him in the hospital. Ehh. Whatever. I searched all around the village for Naruto only to find him snoozing in the hot spring all by hisself. Watching him from afar amused me but I decided that I'd much rather scare the shit out of him. I quietly approached the hotspring and my prey but as I got closer, I noticed that Naruto was pale in the face. His breathing was slow and shallow as if he hadn't a breath of life in him. This ironically concerned me. _

_ It concerned me to the point where I found myself stripping down to my boxers so that I could get in and have a closer look at him. I sat across from him at first watching him sleep. He opened his eyes a couple of times and started muttering incoherent things about Sakura. I was all laughs until he called out my name in a sort of low purr and called me pretty. I'm sure if I could have seen my face, it would have been stark red for reasons I don't know just yet. I waited a while before I waded towards him and stood inches in front of him studying his face. I could tell that he had been completely drained of chakra and he was getting some much needed rest. The longer I watched him, the more concerned I became. For some reason I wanted to just take him in my arms and heal him. Impossible, I know but that's the overwhelming feeling that came over me. _

_He startled me again by saying my name and once again it came out as a soft purr that sent chills down my spine. I watched the steam emitting from his body and a drop of water drizzle down his forehead…between his eyes…and over his lips where it lingered teasingly. I watched that droplet secretly begging it to hit the water but it just lingered there, the moonlight causing it to shine brightly on his lips. After staring at it for several seconds, I just couldn't take it anymore. I was thirsty and…I…my tongue lost control. I leaned over and ran my tongue gently across his lips, enjoying the cool water droplet as it slid down my throat but…I found myself trailing my tongue on the sides of his face…and then his neck, licking the precipitation from the steam off of him and getting turned on in the process. The next purr from Naruto sent me over the edge and I immediately withdrew my body from the water. WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?!?! I…licked…a boy. I was going to go back to my room and wallow in my shame but I couldn't leave the poor sap to die of dehydration so I carried him back to his room and that was that. I need to…go do something. Maybe I'll go tease Ino and Sakura for a while. My mind is fucking with me right now._

_Xxxxxxx Uchiha_

"Oh my…" Kakashi mumbled. "This is better than anything I've ever read. How wonderfully delightful!" he chuckled.

"What's wonderfully delightful?" Sakura asked. She had landed silently on a branch just a few feet away from him and he almost lost his balance.

"Dammit Sakura. Why are you sneaking about?" he muttered, straightening himself back to a sitting position trying carefully not to expose the Uchiha diary. If there was one person in the village who did not need to see it, Sakura was the one.

"I am playing a game with Ino and some others. Hide-N-Seek to be exact. I am it of course but I can't seem to find anyone. I personally think this game isn't fair especially since Neji is always using his Byakugan to find people! And he tells people to run when he spots the 'it' person," she complained.

"Well…I wish I could help you but I haven't seen anybody as of yet."

"Oh…well have you seen Naruto? Everyone's been asking about him."

"Uh…he's gone…on a mission with Lord Jiraiya. I don't know when they'll be back but it may be a while."

"Oh…is Naruto alright?"

"I…think so. Is there something you know that I should know?"

"Nope."

"Alright then." She nodded her head before speeding off in search of her friends. Kakashi grinned as he took out the diary to start reading again.

------------------------------XX----------------------------

Jiraiya and Naruto walked in silence for at least an hour. Naruto seemed down about something and although Jiraiya had somewhat of a clue what was bothering Naruto, he didn't want to seem overly eager to get information. Naruto had not mentioned his missing journal which only led him to wonder whether or not the journal was left purposely. Even if it was left intentionally, Jiraiya thought it best that Naruto have it back before he left Naruto to the Sand Village. That way, he could get more of his thoughts off of his chest and maybe not be so wound up all the time.

The most they did that day was talk about making the Rasengan more powerful. Jiraiya suggested that Naruto practice harnessing his chakra into smaller balls so that he could hit his targets more accurately with a more powerful blow. That seemed to make Naruto feel a little better and as they walked, Naruto would practice his new technique. Once or twice he managed a few cute balls of chakra but he would lose control and fall backwards from the pressure.

"Goofy kid." They had been traveling for at least ten hours, stopping only once to have lunch. Jiraiya decided to call it a night and they checked in at a small inn near Tazuna Town. They had been making pretty good time as it usually took about three days to get to the Sand Village. He deduced that they would get there sometime the next night if they kept at the rate they were going. Jiraiya got a separate room from Naruto. He figured Naruto probably wanted to be alone to write in his journal that he somehow managed to slip in his bag while he was playing around with chakra balls.

Jiraiya fell asleep immediately. The long walk had finally taken a toll on the older man. Naruto wasn't as tired. He sat Indian styled on his bed with the overwhelming urge to write down some thoughts. He looked in his bag, pulled out his journal, and began writing. He wrote for what seemed like an hours, pausing every now and then when he couldn't think of the right words. He started to nod off at some point but then he felt a pair of hands caressing his neck.

"Oh man…that feels good," he murmured.

The hands slid over his shoulders giving them a gentle squeeze before he felt lips suckling the back of his neck. The hands slid down his arms then to his sides, encircling his waist area. Naruto's head was spinning and the arousal he felt was sensational. _Wait a sec…what in the…?_ Naruto quickly snapped back to reality and shook the hands off of him. He jumped off the bed, grabbed his kunai knife and turned to see Sasuke lying on his side. His head was propped up on his hand and he was wearing the most arrogant of smirks.

"What…are…_you_ doing here?" Naruto asked softly. He was still clutching the kunai knife while Sasuke just chuckled.

_I came to see you Naruto because for some reason, I just can't get enough of you…_

* * *

**AN: Another chapter. Go figure. I was inspired. Don't ask how. I still despise Sasuke which means you shouldn't be surprised if he meets a sticky end. You've been warned. My story. My casualties. Ahh the power of fanfiction. Ok. So this story may take the back burner to another one. Why? Because it's high time I start posting my wrestling slash fic. I have been itching to do a slash wrestling fic and it's in progress. Don't get too upset when the updates slow. Besides, I like taking my time to run over different scenarios in my head. Sorry about leaving you hanging but you'll get another update soon. Review. xoxoxox  
**


	8. Chapter 8

"I'll ask you one more time," he said through gritted teeth. "Why are you here?"

"Naruto, drop the kunai and sit down. I'm beginning to think that I'm not wanted here."

"You're not. Go back to Orochimaru. That's where you wanna be isn't it?" he challenged. Sasuke let out a sigh as he rose to a sitting position on the bed. He stood to his feet and started towards the blonde but Naruto took a fighting stance.

"Not any closer," he growled.

"Fine." Sasuke sat back down on the bed and just grinned at his best friend. Naruto was always making things difficult so Sasuke pretty much expected this kind of reception. He made a mental note to start waiting until Naruto was asleep before he dropped by.

"I'm waiting."

"Keep your voice down."

"No way. If ero senin finds you here then so be it."

"Fine with me," he shrugged. "He'll never be able to catch me anyway." Sasuke looked around the room and noticed Naruto's journal a few inches from his hand. "I wonder what's in here," he said with a grin as he picked up the journal. Naruto's eyes went wide with fright as Sasuke studied the cover of his journal.

"Hey…give that back," he stammered.

"Why should I? I risk my life to come and see you but every time I do, all you do is ask questions and treat me as if you don't like me anymore."

"Who ever said that I liked you? And why _shouldn't_ I treat you like a villain? If you cared about me and the others so much then you would have come back with me when I…"

"I told you that I couldn't," he snapped.

"Why not?"

"It's for your own good and I need Orochimaru's help to catch my brother. Now then, why don't I see how you really feel," he grinned. Naruto dropped is kunai and dashed across the room, tackling Sasuke and pinning him down on the bed.

"Give…it…back," he huffed.

"No way…loser." Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the neck choking him until he let go. Then he flipped the blonde over, pinning him to the bed with one hand.

"Let…me…go Sasuke." Naruto used both of his hands to try and push the raven haired shinobi off of him but he had used all of his chakra trying to improve the Rasengan earlier that day so his strength was no where near Sasuke's. Plus, to call on the kyuubi's power for something this trivial would only piss her off. After minutes of struggling, Naruto finally gave up and began to quiet down. He just glared at Sasuke trying to intimidate him but the look was more of a pout to Sasuke.

"Awe, I love it when you pout," he grinned. "Now I think I'll take a peek." He used his chakra to open up Naruto's journal to the very last entry. It was the one he had been writing before he had interrupted him. "Ah…I see my name in here."

"Sasuke…"

"Let's see… _'Sasuke came by to see me…'_"

"Sasuke please…" he stammered, but he ignored him and continued reading.

"_'Sasuke made me feel…I wish I knew. My heart felt like it was breaking in two that day we fought in the Valley and to have seen him again and feel his touch…Call me weird but no one has ever made me feel so…but I'm confused about these feelings…'_"

"Please…stop," Naruto choked. Sasuke let the journal fall from his hand before turning his head to face Naruto. His blue eyed blonde had closed his eyes and was fighting back tears.

"Naruto…"

"How could you…?" he whispered. He opened his eyes and stared at Sasuke, piercing his soul with a look of pure hurt and innocence.

"I had to know," Sasuke whispered.

"Know what?"

"I had to know if you felt what I felt…what I feel right now."

"I don't know how I feel Sasuke. I wish to God that I knew so that I can deal with it you know but right now…a part of me wants to beat the hell out of you for all the pain that you've caused me and Sakura but then there's also a part of me that…that could never bring myself to actually hurt you like before because I…"

His throat started knotting up making it hard to talk. When he opened his mouth to speak again no words would come out an all he could do was weep. He was so physically and emotionally overwhelmed that crying seemed to be the most natural thing to do at that moment.

"Naruto, don't cry. I hate it when you cry."

"Then…then give me a reason not to Sasuke," he cried.

"If I didn't care Naruto, I wouldn't be here."

"It's not the same Sasuke. What am I to you? Just a passing fancy? Just a temporary friend in your time of need? What? Orochimaru and Kabuto not friendly enough for you?" he spat.

"No, that's not it…"

"Then what is it Sasuke? I am tired…so so tired of this. You told me that day in the cave that you had some things to take care of and that you were protecting me but I don't buy it. You know that I am more than capable of taking care of myself…"

"Unless my brother gets a hold of you," he added.

"Your brother doesn't scare me Sasuke. I know that you want to be the one to finish him off but if he comes at me, I'll have no choice but to finish him off."

"You can't…Naruto. You're no where near strong enough to defeat him."

"And you are?" he scoffed.

"Naruto, you're not in the position to be making such challenges. I'm the one holding _you_ down so shut up and listen."

"Whatever."

"This is serious Naruto. My brother…he's more dangerous than you think he is. Even Orochimaru doesn't want to have to deal with him. You…I'm scared for you. You're reckless when it comes to fighting. You'll rush into any fight without studying your opponent and that right there will get you killed if you go up against any of the Akatsuki members especially Itachi."

"So what? It's not your concern. It's only your concern when it involves your brother. Otherwise, who cares? Who cares if I die tomorrow? I'm just an outcast, a pest, a loser," he whispered.

"I care."

"Liar!" he screamed. Naruto used his last bit of chakra to push himself to a sitting position and began to punch endlessly at Sasuke's chest. Sasuke sat there taking every punch, letting Naruto relieve some of his anger and stress.

"Go ahead and hit me if it makes you feel better," he said softly. Naruto pounded and pounded on his chest for the next five minutes or so until he exhausted himself.

"Sasuke…I really…hate you," he huffed. Naruto started to fall back onto the bed but Sasuke grabbed him pulling him close, embracing his blonde friend.

"No you don't," he whispered. "If you hated me then I wouldn't be here." Sasuke just sat there holding onto Naruto, listening to his short, labored breaths and enjoying having his love in his arms.

"Sasuke…" he purred.

"Don't talk," he whispered.

"I'm so…tired".

"I'll put you to sleep." Sasuke buried his face deep into Naruto's neck as he caressed his back.

"That feels…great Sasuke." A low chuckle escaped Sasuke as he started planting slow, lingering kisses on the blonde's neck. Soft purrs from Naruto led Sasuke to lie him down on the bed; his tongue beginning to trail a path all around his love's neck.

"Do you hate me now…Naruto?" Sasuke whispered, his teeth now playing around the blonde's ear.

"No…I think I may love…"

There was a loud boom and the door of the room flew off its hinges. Sasuke jumped and planted his feet to the ceiling, hanging upside down waiting to see who had come.

"Naruto, are you alright?" the voice boomed. Sasuke scoffed when he saw that it was only Jiraiya, one of the so called legendary sanin.

"Oh it's just you." Sasuke dropped to the floor and chuckled.

"I don't see anything funny Uchiha."

"You could lose the attitude Jiraiya. I haven't done anything to you." Sasuke watched as Jiraiya's eyes darted towards Naruto who was now lying on the bed as if he were too tired to move.

"What's wrong with…?"

"I didn't do anything to him if that's where you're getting at. He beat me to death and now he's all out of chakra."

"I'm sure you deserved the beating." Sasuke just shrugged. "You know Uchiha, you've got some nerve showing your face around here. There's a big reward for bringing you in and I know a lovely young lady who would be thrilled to have you back in the village."

"I could care less about Sakura. I mean, sure as a former teammate she was aight but as far as her love for me is concerned, I couldn't care less."

"That's horrible Sasuke. That girl…you've been toying with her all these years and…"

"You've got it all wrong old man. I've never had any kind of feelings for Sakura. I mean, yeah I thought she was cute and all but she annoyed me so much that it completely turned me off. Besides," he said softly, his head turned towards Naruto, "I have always cared more for someone else."

Sasuke darted towards the window and with one last glance towards the bed, he disappeared into the night. Jiraiya just shook his head and headed towards the bed. He glanced down at the young blonde before him and saw that he had fallen asleep. He looked plum exhausted. _That Sasuke…Did he mean that he loved Naruto or was he just trying to psych me out? _Jiraiya covered Naruto up with a blanket then took a seat down in the lounge chair across from him where he stayed watch until his eyes could no longer stay open.

---------------------------------------XX------------------------------------

Kabuto watched as Sasuke left the Tazuna Inn. _So the kyuubi must be here.__Naruto, I've found you at last but where are you going? Guess I'll have to follow you and see for myself._

* * *

**AN: Don't know when the next update will be. It might be a week or two since my spring break is coming up. I know that's lame but that's just how it is. I have dsl at home but my computer hasn't been configured to use the ethernet cord at the house and I am not going to spend a day trying to figure it out. Besides I have to work the entire Spring Break and well...that means no time for writing. Let's see...Yes, Jiraiya let Sasuke go. He could have taken him down if he wanted to because he's a sanin duh. But he's getting this vibe that maybe there's a possibility that Sasuke and Naruto are in love. Who knows? Of course, I still despise Sasuke with a passion and will probably kill him off. You've been warned. Will Naruto be sad about it? Maybe...Story may turn dark or it may turn humorous again. Haven't quite decided as of yet. So...review...flame...whatever: **


	9. Chapter 9

Jiraiya awakened Naruto bright and early the next morning. They still had about half a days traveling to do before they would arrive at the Sand Village. Naruto of course, was tired of the slow pace and forced Jiraiya to run in order to keep up with him. With only one quick stop to rest, Naruto and Jiraiya arrived at the entrance to the Sand Village in half the time. Jiraiya practically passed out when they reached the gate. Naruto however, look un-phased and not to Jiraiya's surprise, very pleased with himself.

"Master Jiraiya. Naruto." They were both greeted by Temari and Kankuro along with some of the guards.

"Guys. It's been…"

"Ages. It's good to see you Naruto. And you look great." Temari kissed his cheek causing him to blush.

"Uh…thanks," he managed. "So where's…?"

"Gaara?" Kankuro finished.

"Yeah."

"He'll be down in a few to greet you. He was the only one expecting you so soon. The rest of us figured you get here by tomorrow morning at best but it would seem Gaara knows you best."

"Naruto, you go on ahead with the others. I need to speak with Gaara first."

"Alright." Naruto followed Temari and the others through the gate. A minute later, Gaara appeared next to Jiraiya scaring him half to death.

"Gaara," he managed, straightening himself.

"He looks good but I can tell he's not very happy."

"Uh…yeah that's probably…an accurate observation," Jiraiya said frowning. Gaara however, looked emotionless as usual and chose not to comment on Jiraiya's last statement. "How long can he stay?"

"As long as he needs to. I don't mind the company of others like me and of those who understand me."

"Uh…ok. Well, I promised you an explanation."

"Sasuke."

"Huh?"

"Sasuke is the reason he's here. He'll do whatever it takes to bring home someone he cares about. The sadness in his eyes is due to his failures."

"Uh…" Is this kid a mind reader? Or does he just know Naruto very well?

"The Akatsuki, more specifically the one called Itachi, is the reason for his uneasiness."

"I suppose…"

"You too can stay as long as you wish. Get some rest before taking off again." Before Jiraiya could protest, Gaara had disappeared. Naruto has some interesting friends…This Gaara…I've heard a lot about him from Tsunade but can he really protect Naruto on his own? Jiraiya sighed as he headed through the gate. Might as well take a nap before leaving. Knowing my luck I'll run into trouble.

G--G--G

Gaara watched as his older siblings showed Naruto around the perimeter. He had originally planned on greeting Naruto out front but because of Naruto's condition, he decided against it. He was afraid that he'd slip up and say something out of the way causing Naruto to anger or…possibly cry. There was also the fact that he feared a breakdown in his emotional defenses as well. It had been a long time since he'd seen Naruto and it was because of him that he was a better, more caring person now. Gaara turned away from his window and stood to his feet. He was going to wait for Naruto in the room that he'd fixed for him. It was a lot less formal for a meeting and though he really hadn't thought about what he was going to say to him, he figured it would be a lot easier to get Naruto to open up if he wasn't distracted by the whole kazecage thing.

Gaara didn't have to wait long. Just minutes after he entered the guest room, the door creaked open and in walked the handsome young blonde that he had not seen in almost four years.

"Ga…Gaara." Gaara turned away from the window to face Naruto.

"It's been a long time…old friend."

U--U--U

"Just where the hell is he?" Kabuto muttered. He was about an hour's run from the Sand Village sitting in a tree outside the tiny Rice Village. Though the village was a small one, it was being heavily watched by ANBU ninja.

"Kabuto."

"About time you get here…Uchiha Itachi." Kabuto jumped from the tree and bowed in front of Itachi.

"Have you located the target?"

"Yes. It would seem that Tsunade has decided to take the risk by letting the boy get out. He's currently being escorted to the Sand Village by none other than Jiraiya. Tsunade's being lenient but not stupid."

"I wonder…"

"There's no doubt in my mind of your uh…superior skills, however, I don't recommend picking a fight with him. He gave Orochimaru hell and he was only at 50 if that."

"I've no interest in picking a fight with him. In fact, I'd rather not fight at all. It's such a waste of time and energy."

"Alright. So what about the boy? And while we're on the subject, why exactly do you want him alive?"

"Not that it's any of your business Kabuto, but he's the key to catching my silly little brother. Based on all of your reports, Sasuke has been sneaking out to see him. Then there's the fact that Naruto has the nine-tailed fox. He's the Akatsuki's next target. Lucky for me I'll be the one to bring him in…after I've kept him for a while." My brother seems infatuated with the boy. I want to know why.

"Yes and it's really quite the show. I want to think he knows better than to try to pull one over on Orochimaru. Then again, Orochimaru lets him get away with several things."

"Yeah well to your Lord Orochimaru, Sasuke is the perfect vessel to do his bidding. I, for one, would rather see my brother dead than controlled by a mad man."

"Mad man?" Kabuto smirked. "You're one to talk."

"Shut your mouth. Now I have a question for you. How is it you're able to sneak away without Orochimaru knowing? And give me one good reason why I should let you live? I've already gotten the information I need from you and I really have no use for someone who betrayed a dear friend of mine…Sasori." Itachi's Sharingan eyes flashed and Kabuto found himself on the ground dripping with perspiration a second later.

"Please…Itachi…I…I never wanted to…betray Sasori but I…It was either kill or be killed and…you don't know Orochimaru…"

"On the contrary Kabuto, I know him very well. Quit your sniveling and get up. I have a job for you. Do it right or else."

"Yes…"

"I need you to have a little chat with Sasuke…"

N--N--N

Gaara and Naruto just stared at each other for several seconds in complete silence, neither one really knowing what to say. It wasn't long before Naruto cracked a smile.

"You look great my friend," Naruto said softly. Gaara quickly looked away as he was still unsure how to proceed. He could feel his face flushing with embarrassment and as the kazecage, he knew such things shouldn't be bothering him. He glanced at Naruto who was still planted in the same spot, his eyes peeled to the floor. Gaara used his sand to lift Naruto up off the floor.

"Huh? Whoa…" The sand lifted him gracefully off of the floor and carried him across the room putting him a few inches in front of Gaara. Gaara stuck out his hand, his face burning the entire time, as he waited for Naruto to shake his hand.

"I…probably shouldn't have moved you but…" Naruto clasped his hand firmly smiling down at his red-headed friend.

"I'm glad you did. I…kind of zoned out for a second. It's like I'm here but not really. Also…I have to say that I have been wracking my brain trying to find the right words to say to you. I know that our relationship…is a funny one but despite how I may have come off, I am proud to be here in the presence of the kazecage…and a friend." The blonde's livid blue eyes and genuine smile made Gaara all funny inside. He supposed it was because Naruto was a friend and he assumed that good friends always had this effect on people. He made a mental note to ask Kankuro about this later. Gaara bowed his head politely before sweeping past Naruto.

"I'll give you time to settle in and rest. Your journey was a long one. Get some sleep and I'll see you when you awaken."

"But I'm not…"

Gaara's sand encircled Naruto's body carrying him over to the bed and laying him down gently. The rest of the sand swept around his body like a soft blanket covering him from the neck down. Naruto struggled for minute but the warmth of the sand and the coziness of the bed made him realize how truly tired he was. Minutes later he was fast asleep. A smile crossed Gaara's face as he exited the room, yet he clasped a hand over his mouth when he realized what had happened. It was the second display of emotion he'd genuinely shown all day. That Naruto…Then he headed back to his office to do paper work.

* * *

AN: The most wonderful thing about fanfiction is that you can kill off people you hate. I hate Sasuke. He will probably die. I have a lot of people that want him to live and most of the time I do give in and let him live. This time I am not so adamant. I'm sorry. I hate him. I can't say that I won't kill him. It all depends on how things flow from my head. It's pretty much a coin toss as to whether or not I kill him. (You should watch that movie "No Country for Old Men". Awesome awesome movie.) Now um...review...flame...whatever floats your boat. Next update...Tomorrow. Yeah, maybe. I wrote two chapters during spring break. Go me.


	10. Chapter 10

It was very dark when Naruto finally stirred. He had no idea how long he'd been asleep but he felt fully refreshed and rejuvenated…or so he thought. He sat up in bed, the sand sliding gracefully from around his body only to realize that he was still pretty tired.

"You've been sleeping for several hours Naruto." Naruto rubbed his eyes and from the small light illuminating from the candle on his bedside table, he could see Gaara sitting in a chair across the room.

"Oh…yeah I'm sorry," he winced.

"There's no need for an apology. You arrived here in almost half the time which means you must have been traveling at a pretty fast pace."

"Yeah. I was just…the more time ero senin and I had on our hands, the more time I had to dwell on…things. I'm tired of…stuff and I was just ready to get away." Gaara didn't say anything because he still wasn't sure how to best talk with the blonde. Naruto's message, though very cryptic, only confirmed that Naruto was still suffering from Sasuke's departure. Gaara's friendship with Naruto was still fairly new and though Gaara didn't have much experience in the friendship department, he was still determined to find a way to help his new friend. He glanced across the room at Naruto. He had slid back under the sand blanket and was starting to doze off again.

"I'll let you go back to sleep. I just came by to…make sure…that you were alright." Gaara stood to his feet and hurried towards the door.

"Thank you Gaara. I'm glad that…you care," he replied stifling a yawn. Gaara headed out the door without another word.

**G--G--G--G--G**

"Orochimaru, I'm done for the day," Sasuke huffed. He tossed his kunai knife to the side and started heading back towards the hideout. A moment later, Kabuto appeared next to the entrance of the hideout smirking at Sasuke.

"What the hell is up with you?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh nothing."

"Kabuto, where have you been?" Orochimaru asked. He was just as tired as Sasuke and had pretty much depleted his chakra supply sparing with the boy.

"Oh you know. Just out and about."

"I see."

"Lord Orochimaru, you know I've warned you about using so much chakra from day to day." Kabuto rushed to his master's side to help him back inside their hideout.

"And I told you that I'll do what I want. Besides," he said now lowering his voice, "it's for a good cause."

Kabuto helped Orochimaru to his room where he began checking him out.

"You need to get some sleep. Drink this potion and you'll feel much better when you awaken."

"Fine. Now go check on Sasuke. I can't have him scarring up that precious little body of his," he grinned. Kabuto nodded as he headed out of his master's room to look for Sasuke. He found Sasuke sitting on the floor in one of the corridors staring up at the ceiling.

"What do you want Kabuto?"

"Hey…don't snap at me. I'm only doing what I'm told. Lord Orochimaru sent me to check up on you that's all," he said shrugging.

"You can see for yourself that I'm fine now leave me alone."

"As you wish. I need to go and heal myself anyway. Sparring with one of the legendary sanin can always be a pain," he mumbled.

"Huh? What are you going on about?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I had a run in with an old friend today."

"Who?" Kabuto turned to Sasuke. He used his index finger to push his glasses up on his face to get a better view of the raven haired shinobi.

"Oh! So _now_ you're interested in my day? All before hand you were sending me away like I'm some child that you can order around."

"Whatever. You don't have to tell me. It's not like your day consists of anything important enough that's worth discussing anyway," he smirked. Kabuto could feel his face flushing with anger. He was glad that there wasn't much light. He couldn't bear to give that annoying prick the satisfaction of seeing him pissed off. He only shrugged his shoulders and started back down the corridor.

"Jiraiya can be a pain in the ass. Despite his efforts of hiding the kyuubi, the Akatsuki will find him eventually. It's only a matter of time and when they do, I'll be so relieved. The kid annoys me to no end. If they succeed in killing him it would be one less thorn in my side…and Orochimaru's." Kabuto just laughed as he headed down the corridor. Through the peripheral vision offered by his glasses, he was able to see the horrified look on Sasuke's face.

"HEY KABUTO! WAIT A SECOND."

"Yes?" he answered, stopping dead in his tracks.

"Did he…the old man let Naruto leave the village. Why? Why would they do that if they know he's being hunted down by the Akatsuki? Who better to protect him than the two sanin themselves?" he asked. Kabuto could sense the urgency in his voice and could not help but be amused. To think that the pompous prince belonging to Orochimaru had a soft side just tickled Kabuto to death.

"Well," he smirked. "Apparently they feel like he'll be safe where he's staying. According to Jiraiya, he'll be heavily guarded from day to day on this 'mission' as he put it. I'm no fool so this so called mission seems to be a cover up. At any rate, he's not in the Leaf Village and unless Jiraiya is secretly watching him too then the Akatsuki will find him and kill him. I'm hoping for the latter." _I've done well…_With that final thought, Kabuto disappeared leaving Sasuke behind with lots of troubling thoughts.

Sasuke just sat in the semi-dark corridor trying to make sense of what Kabuto said. He could not tell if Kabuto was just yanking his chain or telling the truth. The only thing that he was sure of was that it was possible that Kabuto did in fact have a confrontation with the sanin. Kabuto had been out and about for almost two days. If he was fighting with Jiraiya then the story made sense. As for the part about Naruto leaving the village, he knew that Naruto was on a mission that required him to stay in Tazuna Town but he assumed that Naruto would be returning to the Leaf Village soon. _I should have found out where he was going. _Sasuke pounded his fist into the wall behind him.

"Dammit Naruto! Why are you so stubborn?" _Can't you see that I'm trying to protect you?_ Sasuke stood to his feet and looked around the corridor. He was certain that Kabuto slipped Orochimaru a sleeping potion so he was pretty sure he had time to go investigating. With one last glance around him, he pulled the string to a trap door that led to the outside. _Alright Naruto. Let's see where you are hiding._

Kabuto smiled as he watched Sasuke disappear through the trap door. _I guess Itachi was right._ Kabuto let out a chuckle before heading out the trap door as well. _Time to pay Itachi another visit._

* * *

**AN: For all the people who want Sasuke to live, I had planned on killing him to begin with. If the story keeps going at the direction I had intended originally then he's gotta go. Anyway, now that that's out of the way I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I wrote two over spring break and so here's your last update for a while. R&R**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: WARNING: This chapter may contain anime spoilers. I try not to use manga spoilers simply because not everyone gets to read the manga. I don't get to read it often but I watch the anime w/ english subs. Anyway, you have been warned.**

* * *

Sasuke waited until it was nearing sundown before he started sneaking around the village. It seemed as though the village had pretty much regained its strength since the attack at the Chunin Exams so there were guards everywhere. He had to be extra careful sneaking inside the gate. He knew that he was taking a big risk by not waiting until it was completely dark but he didn't care.

He needed to know that Naruto was safely inside the walls of the Leaf Village otherwise he would have to look for him. The three years that he'd spent away from Naruto was hard enough. He hadn't realized how much he loved Naruto until that fight at the Valley of the End. That's when everything became clearer than ever before, yet he had to let him go. He had to leave him in order to uphold his family's honor. There was just no way he would have been ready to face his brother if he had not been trained by someone as ruthless as his brother. That's the real reason that he turned to Orochimaru. He needed to understand how an evil mind worked.

Sasuke had somehow managed to get past all of the guards and had made it to Naruto's room window. He quickly opened the window and slipped inside the semi dark room. Naruto's room looked as though it had not been occupied in a while. Sasuke started going through Naruto's closet and found that most of his clothing were missing. _Damn it! He's not here! Where is he?_ Sasuke quickly headed back to the window and poked his head outside, staring up at the tower of the hokage. He saw that there was light coming from the tower and he wondered if she would be discussing anything about Naruto. The sun still had not completely set but there was no one around that he could see so he started across the roofs heading straight towards the tower. He landed gracefully outside the hokage's office window and was ecstatic to hear voices coming from inside.

"Kakashi, have you heard from Jiraiya yet?"

"No but he should be getting back tomorrow morning sometime. The last I heard from him was that the guards insisted that he take a break from his journey."

_Yes, but where did he go?!_ Sasuke was starting to grow impatient but he continued to listen with hopes of finding information.

"Well…I suppose that's alright. I still don't know if letting Naruto leave the village was the best idea. I trust Jiraiya and I trust our allies too but Naruto can be so hasty. Who's to say that he won't convince his friends to help him go after Sasuke or maybe even members of the Akatsuki? You know they'd help him in a heartbeat!"

"Yes, I know but we gave them strict orders not help him even if he begs. Sasuke doesn't care about Naruto at all anymore so it's a waste of time to keep searching for him anymore." _It's not a waste of time because I do care about him!_ Sasuke's foot slipped causing a piece of wood to fall to the ground.

"What was that?" Tsunade asked. _Oh shit._ Sasuke took off towards the forest at full speed. He kept running until he was outside of the village gates and deep within the forest. He stopped to catch his breath when a small shurigan whizzed by his head. He turned around and found himself face to face with Kakashi.

"Oh…it's just you," he smirked. "For a second there I thought I was about to get my first chance at the hokage."

"She hasn't the time to be facing rogue traitors of the village like you."

"A traitor huh? Don't you think that's kind of harsh? I mean, it's not like I've tried to take down the Leaf Village with Orochimaru. I'm only getting his help to speed up progress. What's so wrong with that?"

"It's wrong because Orochimaru is the enemy."

"The way we see it, the only enemy is the Akatsuki. You people are just thorns in our sides."

"Why you…"

"Look, I don't want to fight you. I just came here to get a bit of info. I didn't find out much of nothing so I'll just be on my way now." Kakashi threw another shurigan at Sasuke. This time it cut his left sleeve. Sasuke just chuckled before turning to face his ex sensei again.

"What makes you think I'm going to just let you walk out of here? If I take you down now and turn you in, then Naruto can come back home with no more worries."

"Take me down?" he scoffed. "Sensei, I'm not the guy you used to know. I'm a lot stronger now than you can possibly imagine. I really don't want to fight you but if you keep this up then you'll leave me no choice. You're not my enemy. My enemy is Itachi Uchiha and in order for me to stop him I can't stay here."

"Me along with the rest of the jonin could have helped you become stronger. Have you seen Naruto lately? He's as strong as ever."

"Which is why I beat him the first two times he found me," he said lazily. "Look, I'll give him this, he is just as strong as I am physically but mentally, he's as pathetic as ever which is why he's so easy to defeat. You're the same way sensei. You care too much. Caring is going to get all of you killed someday."

"No Sasuke. You're wrong. Having the wrong kind of company is what's going to kill you someday. Do you honestly think Orochimaru is training you for nothing? When he thinks you're just ripe, he's going to do you in and wear your body like a super suit."

"I'll get away before that time. Now I'll ask you one last time to let me leave in peace. I don't want to fight you but I will. You are trying to keep me from the most important task in my life but I refuse to let you or anyone else stand in my way. I am an avenger. That is my way of the ninja," he growled. The curse mark on his neck started to advance, covering only half of his body. Kakashi just watched him in horror as his sharingan eyes flashed. "You're hesitating Kakashi. Does that mean you're thinking about reconsidering or is it because you hesitate to see the true power of the sharingan all over again? I hear my brother showed you a thing or two in all of two seconds." _I'd hate to kill him but I will…I won't let these fools stop me in my mission._

"I was hesitating because I don't want to kill you either. You were like a son to me, as Naruto and Sakura are like my own as well. To have to hurt you…"

"Stop the sentiments and show me what you got old man." Sasuke's whole body lit up as Kakashi lowered his mask revealing his sharigan eye. He lowered his hands in front of him, clasping his right wrist with his left hand.

"CHIDORI!" he yelled. Sasuke only chuckled.

"That will never work on me. I told you I'm a lot stronger now. Unless you think you're quick enough to find an opening, then you are dead. NAGASHA CHIDORI!" Kakashi had no idea when Sasuke had withdrawn his sword, nor did he realize Sasuke was behind him until it was too late. Sasuke just chuckled softly as he stabbed his ex sensei in his side sending electrical currents all through his body forcing him to the ground on his knees. Kakashi cried out in pain, the blood pouring from his side. Sasuke leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"I bet you didn't know I could do that did you? Orochimaru is not as bad as he seems. In the meantime, tell the hokage it would be in her best interest to insure Naruto's safety. I wish to be the one to fight Naruto and if the Akatsuki gets him then my dream won't come true and you don't want to crush my dreams do you?" he asked with a grin. He twisted the sword inside of Kakashi causing him to scream out once more before sending more currents through his body. He extracted the sword and placed it back on his side before running off into the night. When he was just miles outside of the village, he dropped to his knees and cried out into the night. _Damn it all!_ He stood up and collected himself because he knew that he was being watched.

"I know you were watching…Kabuto." Kabuto landed silently a few feet behind him and shrugged.

"I was bored. You snuck off and I decided to follow you. Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?"

"Me? Killed? I don't think so."

"Yeah, I saw what you did to poor Kakashi. How could you do that to your own father?"

"HE IS NOT MY FATHER!" His eyes flashed dangerously but Kabuto only shrugged again, lifting his specs back up on his face.

"Temper temper Sasuke. I was only teasing. I don't suppose you would have stabbed your own father to death. Anyway, I suggest we get up out of here. If Orochimaru wakes up and both of us are missing, there will be hell to pay."

"Right." Sasuke led the way back to Orochimaru's hideout. Kabuto just grinned to himself as they traveled through the darkness. _That Sasuke is so ruthless. Maybe he really will be the perfect vessel for Lord Orochimaru, but still…something's not quite right. I don't think Naruto would appreciate what he did to Kakashi then again…Kakashi isn't his sensei anymore but Jiraiya is…Oh well…_


	12. Chapter 12

Kakashi just stayed on his knees for his body was too numb to move. He couldn't really feel anything and he was fairly certain if he managed to move, he would feel that either. He knew of course, that he was losing a lot of blood and he needed to somehow get back to the village before he bled to death. But that wasn't the number one thing on his mind. He was concerned about Sasuke. He possessed an incredible amount of strength and chakra. That chidori technique was one that could surpass even his own, but that wasn't the peculiar part. Sasuke could have killed him but he did not. He left him for dead…or did he? Sure Kakashi was bleeding to death but then he couldn't feel anything. The currents sent through the sword had numbed the pain so even if he were dying, he felt no pain at all. It wasn't until he saw Jiraiya kneeling beside him that he snapped out of his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Kakashi! Aren't you listening?! You're bleeding to death! Who…who did this to you?" Jiraiya asked. He somehow managed to throw Kakashi over his shoulder before rushing through the forest towards the village gate.

"It was…Sasuke," he managed.

"What?! What was _he_ doing here?"

"Your guess is as good as mine but he went on some spill about trying to find out information from the hokage. We heard him listening outside her window."

"How'd he manage to get by the guards?"

"You forget he used to live here…Then there's the fact that he's like a younger version of your better third in Orochimaru." Jiraiya just frowned.

"I see," he said softly. "If that's the case then you're lucky to be alive."

"Don't mention it."

"Did he say what he wanted to know?"

"No…but I have a feeling it had something to do with Naruto. I think he's trying to find out where Naruto's being kept."

"It makes sense. I ran into Sasuke when we were in Tazuna town the other day. I caught him in Naruto's room. I have no clue what went on between the two but I can assure you Naruto's mood hasn't changed since. If anything, I believe Sasuke's just making it worse."

"You don't honestly think that Sasuke and Naruto…I know the signs are there but I swear those two used to hate each other. I never saw them interacting with one another except on missions if then. Even on a mission they were always trying to outdo one another and after a while it became apparent that Naruto was always going to have the edge over Sasuke in the strength department because of the kyuubi."

"Yeah, that may be but Naruto's journal has hurt lover written all over it. Then there's the oddness in his behavior as well as Sasuke's. Naruto pretty much told me that he loved Sasuke but I'm hoping he'll grow out of it. The longer he stays away from Sasuke, the better off he'll be. Sasuke has too much hate in his heart to be a good companion for Naruto. Until he avenges his clan, Naruto won't be safe with him."

"Yeah…I suppose you're right." By the time they finished talking, they were standing in front of the hospital.

"HEY TSUNADE! COME DOWN HERE!" Jiraiya hollered. The light in the hokage's tower was on and a second later Tsunade could be seen peeking down at them from her window.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GOING ON ABOUT JIRAIYA?" she yelled angrily.

"He's hurt…Kakashi!" Tsunade quickly made her way out of the window landing softly next to them.

"What in the world…? Kakashi what have you been…?"

"Sasuke," he muttered. Tsunade just stared at him for a second before bursting out laughing. Kakashi turned red in the face and proceeded to mumble something that sounded like 'he caught me off guard'.

"Tsunade, get a hold of yourself. This boy is about to be Orochimaru's tool for crushing the Leaf. I'm sure Sasuke's about as strong as you and me by now," Jiraiya added, trying to help Kakashi out a bit. Tsunade just let out a sigh before running her hands along Kakashi's side.

"Hmmm…well, you have lost a lot of blood but you'll live. Sasuke…the cut is pretty deep but he managed not to hit anything vital. I'm glad. Late night operations are a bore." Tsunade poked and prodded at Kakashi's side but he neither flinched nor laughed. "Don't you feel that?" she asked curiously.

"Nope. I feel nothing."

"So he must also be getting help from Kabuto. There's just no way he could have learned how to…but never mind. Get him inside Jiraiya so I can fix him up. In the meantime, I suppose I better alert the guards. Sasuke's very dangerous," she frowned.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem," Kakashi managed. "He came here possibly looking for Naruto or information on his whereabouts. Since he got nothing from either of us, he's more likely to be heading towards the sand village in due time. I say we alert the kazecage but Naruto mustn't know. Sasuke mentioned…something about fighting Naruto. There's no way he'll beat Sasuke…not unless he's fighting to kill him," he added grimly. They all nodded in agreement before departing.

**--KK--KK--**

"About time you show up."

"Yeah well, I had a great show in watching your brother beat the hell out of Kakashi. I have to say it was quite the entertainment."

"I see."

"Anyway, he wasn't able to find out that Naruto's in the Sand Village so he went to bed all pissed off at the world awhile ago."

"Good. What's Orochimaru got planned for tomorrow?"

"More training for his _precious_ prince Sasuke."

"Well then. I shouldn't have a problem taking a trip to the sand village gate. I need an estimate of the outer guards. The inner guards won't be an issue unless Naruto never leaves the inner area. If that's the case, then I'll have to find another way to get to him. I am in no mood to get others involved."

"Oh so Diedara is out of the question?"

"I don't want or need any help from the others. This is something I wish to do alone. Besides, I'm not planning on killing the kyuubi now. I just want to get to know him a bit better before I kill him later."

"As you wish. I'll report back in few days with a rough estimate."

"Alright. But while you're there, keep and eye out for our target. I need to know how he's doing. He has the power over my brother that I used to have long ago. I need to know what's special about this kid."

"As you wish."

**--II--II--**

Naruto woke up right at dawn but a tray with his breakfast had already been brought up and was sitting on the bedside table made of sand beside him. He quickly ate his fruit then dressed quickly so that he could get in some early morning training. He passed many smiling guards on the way outside. The guards showed him to the training area, which was a large gladiator type arena built mostly of sand and sod. Naruto immediately started off by doing some warm up exercises. He did a few squats, some push-ups and even ran around in leg weights, a training technique he had acquired from Bushy Brow before he left the village some time ago. Naruto didn't know it, but he was being closely watched by several people, one of them being Gaara himself.

**--UU--UU--**

Gaara watched as Naruto ran around the training arena, the sweat just pouring down his chest. Gaara had never been one for training so hard but then again, he never had to. The sand was always there to protect him which made it virtually impossible for anyone to get near him anyway. Gaara watched as the young blonde collapsed onto the ground exhausted from his run. Gaara's eyes went wide with fright. He was wondering whether or not he should go and check on him when he felt a small hand squeeze his shoulder.

"He'll be alright Gaara. He does this all the time...or so I was told." Gaara looked over at Temari with a confused look about him.

"Temari?"

"Hmmm?"

"Why do I admire him so?" Temari just stared at Gaara for she was at a lost for words. "I know why I admire him but there's a part of me that's still confused about these feelings. I know that I have had problems understanding the meaning of friendship in the past but I think I've come to terms with the idea of having friends and being a friend but there's still some thing I don't understand."

"What do you mean?" Gaara just turned his attention back to Naruto who was now doing sit ups. Though the sun had not long been in the sky, the heat was starting to set in and both Gaara and Temari were starting to feel the burn. They continued to watch Naruto in silence until they heard him cough loudly and fall back onto the ground with a thud. "Oh my God…Gaara! He might be dehydrated!" she yelped.

Gaara stretched out his hands commanding the sand to lift Naruto off of the ground. The sand hovered in the air as Gaara led Naruto out of the arena so that he could take him back to his room. The guards and Temari just watched in awe as Gaara led Naruto back inside the complex. It seemed like Gaara was really starting to understand what it meant to care about others and they only hoped things would continue that way. After all, Gaara never knew what friendship was all about…nor had he ever learned to love.

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**A/N: Alright people. A few warnings. First of all, I have had a revelation and it's sheer brilliance on my part but I can assure you that some people won't like it. So here's the deal, if you can't get over the fact that I am working with animated characters then you should quit reading this fic. No, I'm not one of those weird emo writers but I like trying different things sometimes. That being said, expect the unexpected. That's all I'm going to say about that. Also, my friends and I created this joint profile for two reasons: 1) _Because we wanted to be funny and_ 2) _To be perverted SOMETIMES and try new writing styles_. Therefore, I am warning you now that there WILL BE LEMONS and LIMES. I am going to push the "M" rating for all it's worth. Why? Because I never do and quite frankly I need to see what I can do. No, it won't be porn but I will def go there. Don't like lemons? Well, you've been warned. Now then, lastly I want you Naruto people to go read "The Heart's Truth". It's short and sweet. I highly reccommend it. Harry Potter people should read "Captive Heart". Wrestling slash fans should read "Silent Hearts". Hyuugacest fans should read "Metamorphosis: A Hyuga Tale". Do it. Read em all. They are VERY good reads and make sure you review. All writers should be praised for their brilliance although I don't have many brilliant moments. Go figure. So I bet you're thinking, 'that's a long ass author's note'. Yeah well, I got a lot to say. So I had some time on my hands to post a few amvs. People reading this story should go to YOUTUBE and look for "Naruto and Sasuke--Stricken"...or click the link on our profile. It might give you a hint to the direction I'm going with this story...or maybe it's just a damn good youtube. You be the judge. Now review...flame...whatever floats your boat. I'm out!**


	13. Chapter 13

Naruto opened his eyes and looked around. He was in bed but had no idea how he'd gotten there. He closed his eyes again and tried to remember what had happened. He had been working out in the Sand Village's Academy practice area and could vaguely remember doing some push-ups and things until he…

"Damn. I must have passed out," he grumbled. He sat up in bed and groaned, grabbing his side. He must have hurt himself when he was working out.

"Hiya Tiger!" He looked up and found Temari looming over him. "You know, you should stay in bed. You're still dehydrated and hurt from your workout."

"Aye, I know but I feel nasty and I want a shower," he complained. He lay back against the pillow grinning up at Temari. "So did you and Kankuro help get me back inside?"

"No," she laughed. "Actually it was Gaara that brought you back inside safely."

"Huh? Gaara?"

"Yeah. He was out and about when you were training this morning. He stopped and decided to observe your training habits. You…we all started watching you when you suddenly passed out. He was the first to rush to the scene to help his new friend."

"Oh…wow. You should thank him for me."

"How about you thank him yourself? He's probably in his office but if you want to shower first then the restroom is down the hall to your right. You can't miss it," she grinned.

"Thank you Temari." She disappeared and Naruto slowly climbed out of bed. He looked in his bag for some boxers and headed out the door towards the restroom. He knocked twice to make sure no one was in before barging inside.

"Wow." The room was a lot larger than he thought it was going to be. There was a huge hot tub bubbling in the middle of the room. There were big, beautiful peace lilies surrounding the hot tub giving it a nice tropical vibe. To the right of the hot tub was a beautiful mahogany shower. Inside was a carving of a beautiful dolphin and water was trickling out of its mouth like a waterfall.

"Naruto." Naruto quickly turned around to find himself face to face with Gaara. Gaara had a small, white towel wrapped around his waist. Other than that he was completely naked staring at the young blonde as if he were a ghost.

"Gaara. Uh…I'm sorry. I didn't know you were in here but uh…how about we get into the hot tub so we can talk? You know, now that I think about it we haven't really talked since I've been here friend," he grinned. Gaara just stared at him for a second before cutting his eyes to the hot tub. Before he could protest Naruto had snatched the towel from around his waist and was pulling him towards the hot tub.

"Uh…Naruto…wait. I don't…" Naruto pulled Gaara towards him and Gaara reluctantly stepped inside the hot tub. Naruto waded across it and sat opposite of Gaara.

"Ahh, this feels great!"

"Uh…yeah," Gaara mumbled. He leaned back and tried not to think about the site before him but Naruto's moans kept coming off as soft purrs and Gaara didn't know why but it made him nervous.

"Hey Gaara?"

"Hmmm?" The young red head looked up to see Naruto staring down into the water, his eyes full of sadness.

"Do you ever feel as though a part of you is missing? I mean, I always feel that way now but I try so, so hard to fill that void that's missing but it seems to me like it's a losing battle you know?" Gaara just stared at the young blonde somewhat at a lost for words. He really didn't know what to say or how to proceed. He knew that Naruto was referring to his feelings for Sasuke. Gaara always knew that Naruto and Sasuke loved one another. He figured that part out during the chunin exams. The way Sasuke pleaded with Gaara with his eyes for him to stop hurting Naruto and the way Naruto fought so hard to protect him. It was all pretty obvious and now that Gaara thought about it, it made him kind of envious. Sure Temari and Kankuro would have fought for him, but it would not have been the same. No one had ever fought so hard to protect him before…except for Naruto.

"I'm sorry Gaara. Never mind me. I'm just…"

"It's ok Naruto. I think I understand what you mean."

"You do?" he asked wondrously.

"I may not understand the exactness of your feelings but I do understand what it's like to have a void in your life. I feel that way all the time. Sure I have Temari and Kankuro but there are times when I'm alone that I feel like something's missing." Gaara turned his head and stared up at the window. He could not believe what had just come out of his mouth. Of course, all of it was true—every word of it but that was something that he had always kept to himself.

No one, not even Kankuro knew of the empty feelings that he carried around from day to day. He had always told himself that he would tell his siblings his true feelings someday but each time that he tried, it never felt like the right thing to do or his mind would convince him that they would not understand. Right now, he was slightly baffled by his actions. He could not understand why he felt so much more comfortable telling Naruto than his own family.

"Aye, I understand," Naruto replied softly. Gaara quickly turned his head and found himself looking into the deep, soulful blue eyes of Naruto. Gaara could feel his face flushing and wanted nothing more than to hide himself from that piercing stare but there was no where to go. "Gaara?"

"Hmm?"

"Did ero senin tell you why I'm really here? Don't get me wrong, I am here to see you all because you're my friends but…that's not the only reason that I'm here," he winced. He lowered his face between the palms of his hands and started to weep. Gaara hurried towards him and sat beside him. _What do I do?_ He did the only thing that felt natural. He threw an arm around Naruto pulling him close. Naruto responded by turning to his friend, wrapping his arm around his waist and crying into his chest. "Gaara I'm…I'm sorry but it hurts you know?" he cried.

"I…Naruto, it's going to be alright," he stammered. _Oh my…if I can't even hold it together, how am I going to help him?_

"No, Gaara. I just don't see how it's going to be alright," he whimpered. "I'm so angry at him for leaving me but then I am sad too! Why? Why am I weak Gaara? I want to be Hokage but I can't even bring myself to beat my friend and bring him back."

"It's…I don't know much about…these things Naruto but I guess…it would be hard to hurt someone that you care about," he replied softly. The young blonde continued to clutch him but he was no longer sobbing. Instead, he was just resting his head on Garra's chest clinging to him as if his life depended on him.

"What if caring is not enough Gaara?" he purred. "What do you do then?" They both sat there in silence, Garra holding Naruto and Naruto clinging to him. Gaara began caressing his back as he needed something to do while in this awkward situation. The question that came from the blonde was one that he really had no answer to being that the person he once loved almost killed him years ago. Gaara sat there deep in thought listening to the soft purrs coming from his friend while doing his best to disregard the warm breath on his flesh. He finally got the courage to speak up.

"I suppose that I would try to forget them…Naruto." His young friend looked up at him meeting his gaze. Gaara once again felt his face flush but he did not turn away. There was something about Naruto that made him want to be strong for him. No one had ever opened up to him like that before and he was determined to show that he was a worthy friend.

"Gaara…" Gaara could feel Naruto's warm breath bounce off of his face. They were very close to one another; a closeness that Gaara was having a hard time dealing with. A part of him was telling him that he should leave the hot tub and go back to his study. Then the other part of him, the part that wasn't making much sense, was telling him to stay.

There were hands sliding up his chest and he looked down to see Naruto's arms out in front of him. His head shot up only to meet Naruto's lips that brushed ever so lightly against his own. Gaara gasped, the sudden action having alarmed him to no end. _Should I stand here or should I run? What is this feeling? _Naruto's hands slid over Gaara's chest and outwards towards his shoulders where he began sliding them up and down his arms.

"Na…Naruto," Gaara whispered, but the blonde only purred again softly, his tongue now tasting Gaara's upper lip. Gaara's lips parted and Naruto slipped his tongue in, kissing the nervous red head softly. Gaara reacted by putting his arms around Naruto holding him tightly as the blonde made his head spin with his kiss. A second later Naruto tore his lips away letting his tongue trail a path from Gaara's lips to his neck where he began nipping at it feverishly. Gaara could feel his loins burning with desire and he was trying his best to ignore it. Naruto's kisses turned to soft nibbles making Gaara's head spin even more. _I have to stop him…he has no idea what he's doing…_

"HEY GAARA! ARE YOU IN THERE?" The loud voice that was accompanying the hard knocks upon the door was Kankuro's. Naruto snapped back into reality and so did Gaara who was now already stepping out of the hot tub.

"Yes Kankuro?" he answered calmly, his voice never wavering a bit.

"You are needed in the conference room. I was told that it was very important."

"I'll be there in a few."

"Yes, sir." When Gaara was sure that Kankuro was gone, he let out a huge breath. Not that Kankuro would have passed judgment on him but it would have looked pretty bad for anyone to have seen him…like this. He turned around slowly and started across the room. He picked up his clothing from behind the shower and started getting dressed. Naruto was also getting dressed except he was on the opposite side of the room away from Gaara. They both started for the door, Gaara's hand brushing Naruto's as they both had reached for the knob at the same time.

"I…I'm sorry," Naruto stammered.

"You're fine. I'll get the door." Gaara opened the door and let his friend walk out first. There was a long pause in the hall way before Gaara spoke up.

"I don't know how long I'll be in this meeting but in case I be a while I'll have Temari bring some food to your room." Gaara started up the hall towards the conference room.

"Hey…Gaara?" Naruto's voice was full of sadness and Gaara just stopped dead in his tracks. "I'll wait for your meeting to end. I…don't like eating alone." Gaara didn't quite know how to respond to this so he nodded his head and continued up the hall.

--

--

Kakashi woke up and found Jiraiya sitting at the foot of his bed in a lounge chair. He was reading something with an odd expression on his face. Kakashi squinted his eyes and saw that it was Sasuke's journal.

"You old snoop. You know you shouldn't be reading that thing. It's none of your business."

"It is my business when my star pupil is concerned. Naruto's life is in danger and I need to know what's really going on between him and Sasuke. If you want to know then I'll read it aloud. There's no one here except you and me. Tsunade's in her study sleeping while Shizune is out doing her bidding so we're good for now." Kakashi let out a sigh before nodding his head.

* * *

**AN:** Well there you have it. Another update. I was going to make it longer but I always stop when I feel like it's enough. Um...I think that's everything. Be forewarned of future lemons...incest of some form...maybe. Don't be surprised if certain things happen. Always expect the unexpected. I think I said that earlier but I'm saying it again. I have no idea when the next update will be but you all know why. Let's see...now it's time for my recommended readings for all you Naruto fans. _**"The Heart's Truth"**_ is a very good oneshot about Sasuke and Itachi. Yes, it's Uchihacest but if you are open minded and don't really care (they are animated characters for crying out loud) then check it out. It was written by my good friend **K**. _**"Unspoken Desires"**_ is a great Kakashi/Hinata fic that's in progress. Check it out. The updates are pretty swift on this one. Author is **Nefatiri**. _**"Heaven"**_ is a oneshot Hyuugacest fic that was written beautifully. 5 stars to the author **shoeythoughts**. Please check all of these great fics out while you patiently await my next update. I promise you want be disappointed...unless you are expecting pointless lemons. -- Now review: Oh and if you check out the other fics, review those as well. Everyone could use some kind words, raving reviews, and constructive criticism...even me. Ciao!


	14. Chapter 14

**Xxxxxxx**

_So I can't sleep. I can't sleep at all and it's driving me fucking crazy! All I can think about is that idiot Naruto and what happened at the hot spring. Damn. It. All. What the hell is wrong with me? Ok. I know that Naruto and I have gotten closer. In fact, now that I take the time to mull over it, he and I are a lot closer than Sakura and me. Strange. Both are two very annoying creatures but I really would rather hang out with the blonde than miss prissy. Naruto is a clueless idiot that loves to play around. But…I can't really complain. That idiot always makes me smile. I can be having the most fucked up day but he always manages to brighten it. Fuck. I sound like a sissy. Maybe I need a girlfriend. I thought about asking Sakura to be my girlfriend but I don't know. I like her. She's cute. Not all that but cute. She looks better than most but she's so…clingy…and needy…and stalkerish. Her body is alright but it's no more special than Naruto's. He has nice a nice lean torso, a rock hard six pack, but his shoulders aren't that broad. In fact, he has girl arms but I can't deny that he's strong as fuck. And I should be shot because I have just described Naruto's body. Yeah. I need a break. Think I'll go for a dip in the hot spring. It's almost 2am. I doubt anyone's around. _

_Xxxxxx Uchiha_

**Xxxxxxx**

_You will not believe what happened last night. I am really losing it. Well maybe not but maybe I need to test the boundaries of my sexuality because I seriously think I have a thing for that idiot. Ok. Well I went to the hot spring last night in order to clear my head and guess who was there? Yep. The idiot. In the flesh. He was lying back in the water_ _trying to teach himself how to float. Fucking idiot. My first thought was why in the world won't he just use his chakra but when I asked him he replied, 'What if I run out of chakra?' Yeah so the idiot had a good point. Anyway, I got in one corner of the hot spring and leaned back watching the idiot try in vain to teach himself how to float. After about ten minutes of this, I seriously couldn't take it anymore. I got up to help him and well…I don't know what came over me…_

"Lean back Naruto. I'll hold you up," Sasuke mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Just do it!" he insisted. Naruto leaned back in the water while Sasuke held him up with one hand on his back. "Now relax. If you don't relax I swear I'll let you go and you'll sink."

"Uh…I'll try."

"There's no try in it. I'd never tell you anything wrong."

"Really now?" he huffed. "Well that's comforting."

"Well, okay. Maybe I've lied to you before but you're seriously ruining my quiet evening alone."

"I was here first," he muttered.

"Whatever, just…just do it!"

"Fine!" Naruto started to lie back onto the water with Sasuke supporting him. He closed his eyes and allowed his muscles to relax. Sasuke watched the young kit as his jaw muscles relaxed forming the perfect kitty like face. Naruto did not realize it but he was floating on his own. Sasuke had long removed his hand from underneath him.

"Naruto," Sasuke whispered.

"Hmm?"

"You're floating."

"Am I?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah but you have to keep still," he grinned. Naruto smiled and continued to lie back floating on his own in the water. Sasuke started to go back to his spot and relax but there was also something making him stay put. He could tell that Naruto was very happy. He kept purring softly while making little splashes with his fingers. _Cute_. He watched Naruto for several seconds before picking at the kit's toes.

"Te he he Sasuke quit it! That tickles," he giggled. _Now that's really cute. I wonder…_Sasuke began running a finger up the right side of Naruto's leg, past his thigh and up to his waist. Naruto continued to twist and turn giggling hysterically until he lost concentration and sank beneath the water.

"Awe dang it," he spat as he resurfaced. "Sasuke! What was that all about?" he whined.

"I dunno. Your giggles were…cute and I wanted to hear 'em again," he shrugged. Naruto stared at him curiously for several seconds before bringing a hand to his head to scratch. He scratched his head and then frowned as he tried to scratch an area of his back.

"Gahh!" he yelled.

"What? You can't scratch an itch?"

"Yeah well…I can't reach it," he whined.

"God you're such a dork. Come here Naruto." Naruto sulked as he inched closer to Sasuke turning so that the raven haired shinobi could scratch his back.

"Where Naruto?"

"Honestly," he giggled, "all over."

"Figures," Sasuke mumbled though secretly he didn't mind at all. He began lightly scratching the blonde's back starting with the area around his shoulders. Naruto started giggling again, annoying Sasuke to no end. "Can you keep still?" Sasuke grumbled.

"I can't. That tickles."

"God, are you ticklish all over?" Sasuke asked.

"I…don't know," he replied airily.

"Would you like to find out?" Sasuke challenged.

"Uh…" Sasuke leaned over and rested his head on Naruto's shoulder.

"Come on. Don't be such a genin…Naruto. I promise not to tell if you're ticklish all over."

"Uh…ok," he said softly. "Uh…how are you…?"

"Oh, I don't know. I just thought I'd…test a few areas," he whispered. "Starting with your neck." He pressed his lips to the young blonde's neck, gently kissing him on his pulse. He brushed his lips up and down his neck then to his shoulder kissing him lightly.

"Sa…Sasuke…" he purred. Sasuke's lips trailed a path back to his neck and then his ear where he captured the kit's earlobe in his mouth.

"Tell me…Naruto, did that tickle?" he hissed.

"Uh…no," he managed. Sasuke buried his face in the kit's neck as his hands trailed a path down his arms, detouring to the kit's sides. He could feel Naruto shudder with every light touch and it was turning him on. Sasuke slid his arms around the kit's lean waist, then easily guided his hands over Naruto's rock hard abs. Another soft purr escaped Naruto sending Sasuke over the edge. He suckled at Naruto's pulse causing the kit to moan with pleasure. He couldn't take it anymore. He quickly spun Naruto around, so that he could see his pretty face. The blue-eyed blonde was dazed and confused. Sasuke gave him no time to ask questions. He cupped the boy's face pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss. It surprised him when Naruto's lips responded, allowing his tongue easy entry into his mouth. Naruto threw his arms around Sasuke's back, clinging to him as Sasuke explored his mouth.

"God Naruto…" Sasuke murmured. _Why is he turning me on like this?_ His lips left the blonde's and explored his neck again. This time, his tongue made light circles around his pulse before weaving a path towards his ear again.

"Oh Sasuke…why are you…"

"I don't know," he whispered. "Dammit, I don't know!" He somehow managed to tear himself away from the blonde and without another word he left the hot spring mad as hell.

_I'm still mad. I'm mad and I really have no idea why. On one hand, I wish I would have stayed to find out where all of that could have led. On the other hand, if I would have stayed then I probably would have found out that I'm gay. Gahh! This is bullshit! I can't believe…no. There's just no way I like that loser like that and I am definitely not gay. Maybe…maybe it's just the spring season. Fuck. No. I know. I'm horny. That's all. But even if I'm horny, I'd much rather give myself a handjob than to fuck with Sakura or Ino. For starters, I bet Sakura talks during sex and Ino, well…yeah. I'll go tease Ino and see what I can get. _

_Xxxxxx Uchiha_

--

--

"No. There's just no way Sasuke wrote that," Kakashi said clearly disgusted.

"You say that like Naruto's a bad looking kit."

"Well, it's not that. It's just…are you sure you're reading…?"

"Yes, this is definitely Sasuke's journal. Whether you like it or not, he had feelings for Naruto and from the sound of it, strong feelings though right now he's in denial."

"God, I hope not. I really hope Sasuke hasn't been seeing Naruto and Naruto letting him go. This just makes it easier for the Akatsuki," Kakashi grumbled. He leaned back against his pillow and sighed. Just how much had he failed to notice with his Team 7? Was it possible that all the signs were there?

"Kakashi what's wrong?" Jiraiya asked.

"Nothing. I just…is it possible that I am partly responsible for Naruto's aloofness? I mean, I did captain Team 7 and so I should have known that there was something going on but…even after the chunin exams, it seems like all the signs were there."

"Even so, we never could have predicted that Sasuke would actually take Orochimaru up on his offer. Besides, if he truly loved Naruto he would not have left in the first place."

"Maybe, but I have to hope that there was more to it than that."

"Yeah. So shall I keep reading?"

"Sure. Why not?"

--xx--

Garra headed down the hall, his eyes barely open. It had been a long, tiring meeting but very important indeed. There was news from the Fifth about Naruto which only made it that much more serious. The Akatsuki were possibly planning to make their move soon and with Sasuke running amok, the Fifth wanted to insure that the Sand would be willing to cooperate 100 percent, and they were. Apparently, of all the jinchuuriki, Naruto was in the most danger, even more danger than Gaara himself but that was alright. Gaara now had another reason to be stronger than ever and it was to protect a friend, a good friend that he cared deeply about.

"Hey Gaara?" Gaara looked up to see Naruto standing a few feet away. They were both in the hall and Naruto was standing outside his room door. He was wearing nothing but his headband and some black shorts revealing his small, muscular frame.

"Oh…Na…Naruto," he said quickly. "What are you…?"

"I told you that I don't like to eat alone," he said with a smile. "Besides, I promised you that I would wait up for you."

"But…you know you did not have to," he mumbled.

"Naa, it's cool. Besides, you look as though you're about to kill over."

"Uh…the meeting ran kind of long," he managed.

"Yeah, you've been in there for five hours," he grinned. Gaara looked at him, clearly shocked but Naruto only smiled. "I was bored and was counting the time. Anyway, I ran into Temari and she set up dinner in your room. I…hope that's alright. I'm not trying to intrude or anything but…"

"It's fine Naruto." They walked in silence up the hall until they reached an elevator. Once inside, the sand carried them up two floors. When the doors opened, Naruto found himself walking into one of the most interesting, yet beautiful rooms he'd ever seen. It was decorated much like the bathroom though sand was an intricate part of every design in the room. The four poster bed was made with mahogany wood, but there was sand blended with it. There were lots of luscious green plants in the room, giving it a tropical vibe. There was a statue of Gaara, the kazecage on the right side of the room. His mouth was open and water was trickling out of it like a waterfall. There pictures of Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro all over the room. There were even pitures of some of the Sand's academy students. There were two nice bedside tables on either side of Gaara's bed. In each corner were tropical potted plants, but on each table was but a single picture in a frame. On the left was a picture of Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. On the right was a picture of…

"Me," he whispered.

"Huh?" Gaara asked. He was making his way towards the small round table on the left side of the room by the window.

"Me. You have a picture of me on your bedside table." Gaara's face turned red and he almost dropped his punch.

"I…"

"That makes me feel special," the kit grinned. "Even Sasuke never had…an individual picture of me." There was an awkward silence but then Naruto headed for the table. "Come Gaara. Let's eat." He held the chair for Gaara and Gaara took his seat, his face burning with embarrassment the entire time. No one, except the elders had ever held the chair for him like that. Though just a simple gesture to most people, for Gaara, it was something more. Naruto fixed Gaara's plate and then fixed his own before taking a seat across from the shy red head. They both ate in silence. Every now and then Gaara would look up and see Naruto staring at him. _Why is he watching me so?_

"Gaara?"

"Hmm?"

"I…I just…I've been thinking today while you were in your meeting about what we talked about this morning." At this, Gaara almost choked on his rice. He took a sip of his drink and stared intently at his blonde friend. _What's he going to say?_ "Gaara, I think I am going to move on."

"Move…on?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah," he grinned. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I do want to bring Sasuke back home so things could go back to the way they used to be but…after thinking about things this afternoon, I realize that nothing will ever be the same again. Sasuke and I have two very different goals in life and in order to achieve those goals we'll have to go our separate ways."

"But…hasn't he been trying to contact you?" _I hope I haven't said too much…_

"Hai, he has. In fact, I've seen him once or twice since we fought in that cave but…I am tired of feeling like this. I care for Sasuke and I might even be in love with him." For some reason, this news only made Gaara anger on the inside but he did his best not to show it. He knew that his feelings of anger could be wrong but then he also couldn't understand how someone could hurt Naruto so badly.

"Are you sure you want to forget about him?" Gaara asked. "I know I may have told you that this morning but I was only telling you what my heart would lead me to do though I have to question the boundaries of my heart. I still…haven't figured out all of this feelings stuff and I'm…trying everyday to understand things better. Taking my advice may be in the least, almost suicidal."

"I understand that Gaara, but I have put a lot of thought into this. There's no denying my feelings for Sasuke and I'm sure he cares about me too. At the same time, I can't just sit around waiting on him to come back to me you know? Especially when…I have someone else that I am starting to care about as well." Gaara looked away from the blonde's piercing stare and went back to sipping his drink. Naruto stood up from the table and started clearing it, taking Gaara's plate and stacking it into his own. Gaara put down his drink grabbing some of the dishes to help Naruto.

"No, I got it Gaara. You should get to bed. You look really tired."

"But you're the guest. I can help you…"

"That won't be necessary." The door swung open and in walked Temari followed by two of the kitchen staff. She ordered them to clear the table then dismissed them just as quickly.

"Temari what are you doing here?" Gaara asked.

"I came to get the dishes little brother," she grinned. "Besides, you looked all droopy coming out of the meeting and I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Naruto, you seem to be taking good care of my brother."

"Yeah well he took care of me the other day. It's only fair that I return the favor, but I don't mind doing it for really good friends."

"Alright then. I'll leave you two. Night Gaara," she grinned before the elevator doors closed behind her. There was a brief moment of silence until Gaara yawned.

"Aye, Gaara get to bed," the kit ordered. "I should get going too."

"Well…"

"Go," Naruto urged. "Or I'll put you in bed myself." Gaara slowly glided across the room on a small area of sand. There he proceeded to undress himself but he forgot that Kankuro was usually the one to unzip him. "I'll get that," Naruto whispered. Gaara had no idea how long Naruto had been standing behind him but he soon felt the cool air of the room graze his back as Naruto unzipped him. Gaara's kimono robe hit the floor without a sound. Naruto turned the covers back for Gaara prepping the bed for his friend.

"Naruto, you don't have to…"

"But I want to Gaara. That's what friends do. They look out for each other." When Naruto was done preparing the bed, Gaara started towards the bed but the young kit dashed across the room in the blink of an eye. "I'm putting you to bed whether you like it or not," he said softly. Naruto scooped Gaara into his arms then carried him across the room placing him on the bed. Gaara was so shocked and embarrassed that he could not bring himself to say one word. The blonde covered Gaara up with the blanket then leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"Na…Naruto?" The blonde had started for the elevator but stopped short when he heard his name being called.

"Yes?"

"Why did you…why did you kiss me just now?" he asked softly.

"I honestly can't answer that completely just now. All I can say is it just…felt right. I never had anyone, friends or parents to tuck me in on a regular basis. Iruka did it once when I was little and Sasuke has done it before, but I have no recollection of it really. It's all…just a blur."

"Oh ok. Good night…Naruto."

"Aye, good night Gaara."

* * *

**AN: What can I say? I like fluff. Don't like well...you better get used to it because I adore fluff from time to time. Gah. Sorry about the delay but seriously, I've updated once already with hardly a response, but I'm not one to care about receiving a buttload of reviews. Why? Because I value quality over pointless smut and lots of reviews. Oh and I'm happy with it so far and if I'm happy then that's what matters. Like seriously, if you're not happy with your own story, how can you possibly expect others to feel happy about it? Let's see...I don't think I confused too many people. If I have, seriously let me know and I will try to unconfuse you. Next update? In like three months. No seriously, it could be that long. Why? Because I am about to get out on summer break soon and I have to update my other stories on both accounts at least once. So...yeah. I'm sorry but it just depends on whether or not I stay at school for the summer. Highly doubtful since school's expensive but we'll see. In the event that I am uh...absent for a period of time, check out some of EroSenin's favorites. I can tell you now to read 'Unspoken Desires'. It's a Kakashi/Hinata story but it has a lot of great side pairings as well as a great plot. (This comes from 'J'.) Go find it and read it. Yes, there is slash in it as well. Now review. If time permits you'll get another update before I am absent for a while.**


	15. Chapter 15

When Gaara woke up the next morning he felt like crap. He tried to sit up in bed but the pounding in his head was so sharp that he immediately fell back against the sheets. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand and saw that it was nearing lunch time.

"Gaara, are you alright?" Temari was hurrying across the room towards him with a frantic look about her.

"Yeah. I…I guess I overslept," he managed. He tried to sit up again but the pain was just too much. He winced and fell back again. Temari placed the back of her hand against his forehead and then down around his neck.

"You feel hot. I think you have a fever Gaara. Stay here while I go get the medics to check you out."

"No, Temari wait. I have to…get up. I have things to…"

"No! You're staying in bed whether you like it or not. You shouldn't push yourself so hard. You are a great kazecage Gaara. Never forget that. Now stay put before I strap you to the bed. I'm coming right back." Gaara laid back and let out a sigh. There was no point in arguing with Temari especially when she was concerned. Plus he couldn't deny that his body felt weak along with the throbbing pain in his head. A day off. It would be his first since taking the job as lord kazecage. Minutes later he was being checked out by the sand's top medics. They poked and prodded at his body whispering things he didn't quite understand. One of the medics gave him a shot in his left arm before scribbling something on a scroll. Finally one of the medics looked over at his sister and smiled.

"He'll be alright in a day or two. I think the headache is from lack of sleep and his body is reacting to the long hours he spends working. In other words it's stress. He should take it easy for a day or two. Make sure he takes these pills. It will help him relax and also he is to eat lightly and drink plenty of juice so that he doesn't get dehydrated. He has a fever so that's where the fluids will come in." The medics bowed before taking their leave. Garra looked over as his sister and smiled weakly.

"I told you I was fine Temari. You worry too much." She pursed her lips and frowned.

"If you say so but just so you know, I'm not the only one who's worried about you. In fact, it was Naruto who came to get me this morning. He said that you two were normally up around the same time and he thought it was odd that you slept so late. He wanted to come and check on you but he thought it would be rude."

"Oh…I…" Gaara's face turned a light shade of pink before he looked away staring at the picture on his stand. Temari shook her head and smiled as she stood to her feet.

"Gaara get you some rest. I'll come back to check on you a little bit later alright?" He nodded his head as she swept out of the room. Gaara closed his eyes and tried to drift back to sleep but he wasn't sleepy. He knew that he should at least try to rest but he hated being confined to the bed like this. It just wasn't like him to take a day off for…anything. Most people took days off to have fun but fun was not something that Gaara had been accustomed to. He heard his elevator doors open and close again causing him to smile.

"Temari, it hasn't even been an hour yet. I can assure you that I am alright."

"I'm glad that you are alright Gaara." Gaara's eyes popped wide open as he turned his head from the wall. Naruto came across the room and took a seat at the foot of his bed grinning at him.

"Na…Naruto! What…"

"Don't even ask that," he said frowning. "I came to check on my friend. I was worried about you. When I didn't see you heading towards your office this morning, I figured something was wrong. You work just as hard as I do, possibly more and I knew it wasn't like you to just lie around ya know?"

"I…yeah. You're right. I'm not very happy about having to stay in bed all day."

"Well that's what I'm here for. I'll keep you company."

"But…no. You should go do something fun," he protested. "You have to train and…"

"Aye training is very important to me but nothing is more important than my friends. Besides, it's no fun training all alone. Besides, I need to brush up on my medical skills," he grinned. This drew a smile from the shy kazecage.

"I don't know how I feel about being the first victim of your so-called medical skills."

"Well I'm no expert but I can make you feel better…maybe," he added.

"Uh…right. How about you just let me know when it's time for my medication."

"Oh alright. Fine. But in the meantime I'm just gonna lay on the floor at the foot of your bed and maybe write in my journal."

"Oh ok. But you really don't…" Naruto frowned at him and he immediately went silent. _Guess he's not taking no for an answer. Oh well…at least I don't have to be alone all day._ Gaara yawned and realized that he was starting to get really sleepy all of a sudden. Before he knew it he was fast asleep.

--xx--

Gaara woke up to the smell of fresh, hot potato soup. He opened his eyes and scoped the room only to find Naruto rolling a tray towards his bed. Gaara sat up in bed and was surprised that the sharp pain was no longer there.

"Gaara. How are you feeling?" the blonde asked. Gaara looked around and glanced over at the clock. It read nine pm.

"Naruto! Did I…how long…how long have I been sleeping?"

"Hmm…well you have been sleeping off and on throughout the day. At one point you were talking in your sleep but the doctor said that was to be expected since the drug they gave you was part hallucigenic."

"I was…talking in my sleep?" he asked nervously. His face was drained of all color and all of a sudden he felt sick all over again. _What did I say? Oh no…_

"Yeah you were but don't worry about it. No one was in here but me. The doctor came by once on Temari's orders and then later she and Kankuro dropped by but you were still sound asleep."

"Oh…well…" Naruto grinned as he sat down on the edge of the bed next to his nervous friend. He grabbed his hand and clasped it lightly. Gaara looked up at him his eyes wide with fear.

"You…you said some things in your sleep but I promise it was nothing bad or anything worth getting worked up about. If you want to know what you said, I'll tell you but only if you eat your food and take your medicine." Gaara nodded his head then took the tray off of the stand and began eating. Naruto strolled back across the room and sat at the table eating his own food. When Gaara was done, Naruto came and moved the stand out of the way so that the servants could get it without having to hover over Gaara. They came and got their trays then bid them both a goodnight.

Naruto yawned loudly while stretching. Though he had not done any real training today, he was still pretty tired. Normally he would take a short nap during the day but he was determined to stay awake and watch over his friend. He was glad that he did. It was wrong to eavesdrop on people's thoughts and whatnot but Gaara said some things in his sleep that made the wheels turn in his brain. He didn't know if he wanted to scare Gaara with such thoughts but he made him a promise and if he really wanted to know, then he'd have no choice but to talk. With another stifling yawn, Naruto hurried back to Gaara's bed and sat on the edge. His red headed friend was staring off in the distance as if something was wrong.

"Hey Gaara? What's wrong?"

"Oh it's nothing Naruto. I just…was thinking."

"About what?"

"About me."

"Oh." There was a long pause before Gaara spoke again.

"Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"What did I…say today…when I was sleeping?" He turned his head to face Naruto staring deep into those sparkling blue eyes. Naruto smiled and looked away.

"Well…you mumbled something about love."

"L…love?"

"Yeah. You…you were questioning some feelings that you have about someone and you said that you weren't sure if it was love or not."

"Oh…is that all?"

"Well…actually no," he replied. He brought a hand up and began scratching his head before facing his young friend again. "You uh…you mentioned the uh…incident from the hot tub."

"Oh…I…" Gaara's face turned a deep shade of red, just like his hair and he immediately turned away from the blonde. Naruto decided that it would probably be best to leave the next part out but much to his surprise Gaara sprung another question on him.

"You aren't leaving something out are you? I…I need to know what you know or else I'll never get to sleep tonight." Naruto let out a sigh and continued with his story.

"You said one more thing. You…said that you wanted to experience a kiss again. That's not exactly how you said it because a lot of times the things you said were pretty incoherent but I caught the general idea." Gaara sat up in bed holding his head down in shame. _I can't believe I…but it's probably the truth. I was dreaming about Naruto and the hot tub incident. There's no telling what all I said! I have to remember to fire the medic who gave me hallucigens._

"Gaara." Naruto's voice broke his train of thought. He looked up into the eyes of his friend and a warm sensation came over him. "You shouldn't feel ashamed. I…I would never tell your secrets. I promise."

"I...I know." Gaara dropped his head once again, unable to look his friend in the eye. _What is wrong with me? This only happens when I'm with Naruto. I get…so flustered and nervous that it's always hard for me to speak._ A cool hand touched the side of his face making him blush.

"Gaara." Gaara wanted to look up but he was too afraid. He had no idea what was going on. Something…something was different. The warm and friendly vibe from his conversation with Naruto had dissipated and now the vibe was one that he'd experienced once before and only once. Naruto's fingers teased the side of his cheek before moving to the back of his head. He ghosted his fingers through Gaara's hair lightly causing the young red head to shudder.

Gaara finally looked up and their eyes met. Naruto leaned closer to Gaara never taking his eyes off of him. Gaara was too paralyzed to move. Naruto clasped the back of his head gently and moved him forward until their lips finally met. Naruto took the initiative by sucking on Gaara's lower lip until he sighed, allowing his tongue full entry into his mouth. He raked his hand through Gaara's hair as he kissed him, pulling his body closer, needing to feel his warm body against his own. He finally managed to pull away from Gaara after fighting with his brain about it. Truth is, Gaara was still sick and he was taking advantage of him. Naruto wasn't sure why he wanted to kiss him all of a sudden but his body just moved. It felt…right.

"Gaara I'm…"

"It's ok." He leaned back against is pillow and turned to face the wall. Naruto stood to his feet and headed to the foot of the bed. "Where are you going?" Gaara asked sleepily.

"Down here to sleep. I'm not leaving you until you are better."

"But you don't have to…"

"We're not going to have this conversation anymore. I'm staying."

"I realize that there's no point in arguing with you but I don't want you sleeping on the floor. There's…plenty of room on the bed…next to me," he said softly. At this, his face again turned red and he looked away from the blonde. Naruto was a little taken back by this. This was a big surprise considering what he had done just now. He was going to protest but then Gaara turned to him and eyed him with a look of sadness.

"Sure thing friend." Naruto rid himself of his shorts so that he was now in his boxers. Then he crawled in bed next to his friend. He turned to his side, scooting closer to Gaara to fit his body. He threw an arm around him pulling him closer. He could feel Gaara stiffen but he kissed his shoulder and then planted a kiss near his ear.

"Relax Gaara," he whispered. "I'm just trying to make you comfortable. You'll sleep better this way. Just trust me." Gaara's pulled Naruto's arm closer, placing it on his stomach. He placed his hand over the kits and with a sigh he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**AN: Sorry about the long delay but you know why. The chapter was shorter than I intended and fluffy but I love fluff. Anyway, I don't know when the next update will be. I now have high speed internet for the summer but I have a buttload of stories that I need to finish. (And I am posting another one) -sigh- I can't help it. Review if you want. Ta Ta**


	16. Chapter 16

When Gaara woke up the next morning, he was feeling much better. In fact, his head or any other body part for that matter wasn't hurting at all. He rolled over to his side and gasped when he saw Naruto lying next to him. The young kit was still sound asleep, his long bangs covering most of his face. _So…so I wasn't dreaming last night._ Gaara watched the young shinobi as he slept. He knew he needed to get up and catch up on all the paper work that he was sure was stacked several inches on his desk but the urge to watch his young friend was that much more powerful. Naruto's eyes fluttered open minutes later surprising the shy red head.

"G…Gaara?"

"Oh..um…g…good morning," he managed. Naruto propped his head on his elbow and grinned.

"Good morning Gaara. Did you sleep ok?"

"Yeah. I…I slept pretty good."

"How are you feeling?"

"Well I feel…" Naruto raised a hand to his face, feeling the side of his face and neck.

"You don't feel too warm."

"I feel better actually."

"Oh great! Thanks to me right?" he grinned.

"Uh…yeah. Thanks to you," he said blushing. Naruto smiled at his friend as he continued to caress his face and neck. With every caress, Gaara's face turned a deeper shade of red. Naruto's expression changed. He was no longer grinning but his expression was very soft and almost…loving. Gaara was hypnotized under his stare; the sparkle in Naruto's blue eyes had always been entrancing to him. Naruto's hand slid behind Gaara's head where his fingers began entwining with locks of his red hair.

"Gaara…you know, you're…you're really very…beautiful," he whispered. Gaara's eyes went wide with shock and his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest. No one had ever called him beautiful. Ever. And just hearing it for the first time was just overwhelming, especially since the person who said it was Naruto, the boy he'd always admired since their fight during the Chunin Exams.

"Na…Naruto I…don't know what to say to that," he managed.

"Don't say anything Gaara," he whispered. "Please…don't say a word." He leaned forward until he was just inches from Gaara's face. Gaara could feel Naruto's warm breath on his lips making his body do weird things. Naruto brought Gaara's head forward until their lips finally met in a powerful, gentle kiss. Gaara's lips barely responded because his body was just too shocked to do anything. Naruto continued to play with his soft, red hair then leaned closer to Gaara deepening the kiss. Gaara finally reached up and clasped the kit's face, kissing him back slowly as if trying to learn and enjoy every second of the kiss. Naruto drew back and smiled at the flushed faced Gaara before rolling over on top of him, holding his arms above his head.

"Na…Naruto!" he gasped, clearly out of shock. The kit smiled down at him reassuringly before lowering his head to place a small kiss on his cheek.

"Don't worry Gaara. I won't hurt you. I'd…I'd never hurt you," he whispered. He trailed small, fevered kisses all around the red head's neck rendering him speechless. He let go of Gaara's wrists so that he could slide them down his sides. Naruto sat up on his knees so that he could look down at his friend. Gaara had a look of pure fright on his face, but there was also this hint of curiosity and desire in his piercing gaze.

Naruto clasped both of Gaara's arms, pulling him upright. He dipped his head low, burying his head deep in the nape of Gaara's neck, sucking the soft flesh teasingly as his hands wandered all over the smooth skin of Gaara's back. Soft, barely audible moans escaped Gaara's lips, causing Naruto's insides to burn with desire. He sucked, nibbled, and licked the flesh of Gaara's neck hungrily as if he just couldn't get enough of him. Gaara wrapped his arms tightly around the kit's back, his sweet moans bringing the blonde to a full arousal.

"Na…Naruto…" he moaned. Naruto could feel the kyuubi stirring within him but he fought it off, not wanting to lose control too soon. No. There was something going on…something special going on between him and Gaara and he refused to let anything ruin it for either of them.

He gently laid the kazecage back down on the soft bed kissing his neck in the process. From there his lips found Gaara's again, nipping and sucking at them before letting his tongue weave a path down his chest. He teased one of Gaara's nipples with his tongue while his hand teased the other. Gaara's body tensed up at the sensation making the kit smile. He sucked both of Gaara's nipples raw, until they were perfectly erect. Gaara's moans now turned to soft whimpers for his body was crying for more. He'd never experienced anything like this yet his body was begging for something more.

Gaara gasped when he felt Naruto's hand between his legs, stroking him between the soft material of his boxers. Gaara could feel his face burning hot and he felt somewhat embarrassed. He was enjoying this all too much but he couldn't find his voice to make Naruto stop. The kit continued to squeeze and stroke him until Gaara started squirming and moaning his name softly.

"Exactly what I wanted to hear," he whispered. He reached up and yanked Gaara's boxers off quickly, exposing his very erect member. Naruto could tell that Gaara was embarrassed but he didn't want him to feel like that. He gave Gaara another reassuring look before he took him into his mouth slowly, letting the warmth hit Gaara little by little. Gaara's eyes closed immediately and his hands gripped the sheets tightly. The pleasure was just overwhelming. As Naruto slowly consumed him, Gaara's body twisted and turned, needing some kind of relief. Naruto picked up the pace, sucking him a little bit faster causing Gaara's hips to thrust forward in response. _This feels so good. More I need…_

"God…Naruto…more…please…" The kit gave in to his pleas, humming softly from the back of his throat to give Gaara added pleasure. Gaara's moans got louder and he could feel himself getting ready to lose it but it was too late. He couldn't stop himself. Naruto's final hum sent him over the edge. He cried out Naruto's name as he released in the kit's mouth. Gaara opened his eyes, staring down at his friend shyly. Naruto only smiled back as he licked his lips playfully. He rid himself of his shorts then crawled back on top of the almost spent red head and grazed his lips softly.

"I want you," he muttered. "I want all of you." He got on his knees and flipped Gaara over, clutching his hips in the process to bring him closer. He licked one of his fingers and began to enter him slowly. Gaara gasped at the sensation, the pain making tears form in his eyes.

"Na…Naruto…" he whimpered.

"It'll get better. I promise." He entered another finger inside of Gaara and began to move them around, stretching him until he felt Gaara's muscle's relax. When he was certain Gaara was ready, he reached for the small bottle of oil that he found under Gaara's bed and oiled himself good. He placed his throbbing erection at Gaara's entrance and entered him slowly. Gaara bit his bottom lip to keep from crying out. The pain was like nothing he'd ever felt before. Naruto leaned over and whispered words of comfort to him and after a while, Gaara's muscles began to relax even more and the pain was no longer there. Instead it was an explosion of pleasure that had him wanting more. His hips thrust backwards towards the kit and Naruto took the hint, exiting him and reentering him faster and harder nailing Gaara's sweet spot. Naruto bent his head and kissed Gaara's neck while he moved inside of him. The kyuubi started to stir once again but Naruto remained calm, not wanting to release until they both were at their peak. He reached over and clasped Gaara's erection, stroking him with each thrust.

"Na…Naruto…I'm…" With one final hard thrust, they both reached their peak and cried out. Gaara collapsed onto the sheets panting heavily and Naruto did the same, collapsing on top of him. He kissed the back of Gaara's neck and sighed.

"Gaara I…I hope I didn't…I didn't mean to hurt…"

"It's ok Naruto. You…you didn't hurt me," he said between breaths. Naruto got up so that they could both get comfortable. Gaara rested his head on a pillow feeling very exposed and had begun to blush again. Instead of Naruto lying next to him, he crawled on top of Gaara, resting his head on his chest, the blonde hair tickling Gaara's chin. Gaara placed a hand on Naruto's head and began raking through his soft, slick hair. They were both silent for several minutes, each jinchuriki trying to make sense of what just happened.

"Na…Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

"I…I think you're beautiful too." Naruto couldn't stop the wide grin from forming across his lips. He lifted his head to look up at his lover and smiled.

"Nowhere near as beautiful as you are Gaara. And you know what else?" he added. Gaara shook his head, a curious looking forming on his flushed face. "I love you…Gaara." Gaara felt his heart stop in that instant. _Love? He…he said love?_

"Naruto…you can't be…"

"I do too love you Gaara. I…I think a part of me has always loved you but…I guess since I also loved Sasuke I never acted on those feelings."

"But…but you are with…"

"I am not with Sasuke anymore, Gaara. In fact, I really can't say we had much of a relationship." _Since he was always running off or parading around with Sakura just to prove to everyone that he was a playboy…_His voice was no longer filled with its usual playfulness. The mention of Sasuke made his voice low and menacing, making Gaara shudder slightly. "I'm…I'm sorry Gaara but…Sasuke's a name I'd like to forget. He…I'll admit that I still love him. We've been comrades for a very long time so it's hard to stop loving someone like that but I promise you that I love you too. I'm sure of it. Up until this very moment I had my doubts but there's no question that I love you now and I always will, Gaara. _Always._" Gaara looked at his friend with tears in his eyes.

"Naruto, just…what are you saying?" Naruto slid his body up Gaara's and captured his lips in another slow, lingering kiss. He licked Gaara's lips then let his tongue find Gaara's earlobe.

"I'm saying that I want to be with you Gaara," he whispered. "I want to…to call you my own and be your man. I want to be the one you curl up with every night and the one you can count on when things get rough. Let me…let me be your savior…your friend…your lover…and your protector."

"Do you…really mean that Naruto?"

"Its my word."

"So this is what it feels like to be loved," he said softly.

"And it's only the beginning."

"I…love you Naruto." He said it. He couldn't believe that he'd said it but for some reason it just felt right. "And I'll protect you as well."

"I know you will Gaara," he muttered. They both just laid there in each others arms until they both drifted off to sleep again.

--xx--

Sasuke woke with a start. He sat up in bed and realized that he was sweating and almost out of breath. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong and he was sure it had something to do with Naruto. He punched the side of the wall with his fist and cursed loudly.

"DAMMIT TSUNADE! WHERE ARE YOU HIDING HIM?!" Sasuke got off the bed and began pacing the room. It had been almost a week since he'd last seen Naruto and he was getting very angry and twitchy. Ever since he'd started sneaking into the village to see him, he'd been in a better mood knowing that the kit was safe and knowing that he still belonged to him—his love. Not seeing Naruto was really starting to stress him out. Something was happening and he couldn't quite place it but he knew that if he didn't find Naruto soon, he'd probably lose him for good. _No. I can't. I can't lose Naruto. I…I love him too much. I may not have shown him but when this is all over, I promise to treat him like he should be treated. But I just can't…he's the only person who's ever understood me. Damn it, I need to see him!_

"GAHHHHHHHH!" he screamed, as he punched the wall again. A second later the door of his room opened slowly and in walked Kabuto. "What do you want?" he snapped.

"Whoa! Hey! Calm down, Uchiha. I just come to see where all the racket was coming from and much to my surprise, it's coming from you," he smirked.

"Don't fuck with me today, Kabuto!" His eyes flashed dangerously, his sharigan blazing for battle.

"O…k. I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll just go back to watching Kakashi. Man is he ever sexy. I wish you would have gone easy on the poor guy."

"I'll go easy on Leaf shinobi when I'm holding my love in my arms again." He snapped the stick that he was holding in two making Kabuto flinch.

"Uh…right. Don't take this the wrong way, but…I never really pictured you as the loving kind."

"And people see you as someone with a heart?" he snapped back.

"Um…maybe not but I haven't had any interest in love. There hasn't been anyone who actually set my heart on fire…until now," he grinned.

"I know you're just yanking my chain about Kakashi, right?"

"Well…it's either you, your brother, or Kakashi and the way I see it, I'm safer going after Kakashi. Besides, he needs a little thrill in his life."

"Yeah. Whatever," he grumbled.

"So um…since we're somewhat 'bonding' now, you wanna tell me who your beloved is?"

"Nope."

"Alright then. Well, I guess I'll be going then. I have a few errands to run and I need to let Orochimaru know about the kyuubi." This got Sasuke's attention immediately.

"What about the kyuubi?" he asked, trying to remain calm.

"Oh…just some information regarding his whereabouts," he sang. _Ha ha I've always known you had a soft spot for that kit. I'm just going to have a bit of fun pushing your buttons._ "I'm sure Orochimaru would like to know so that he could get to him before Itachi, though I hear Itachi may be closer than we think. Oh well…the poor boy. I never liked him much in the first place." Sasuke let his anger get the best of him. Without thinking, he lunged at Kabuto pinning him against the wall by the throat, slowly cutting off his air supply.

"Where is he?"

"The…kit?" he managed.

"TELL ME WHERE HE IS!" he screamed.

"I…I don't…know for sure…he's supposedly…in another big village."

"Why are you planning to tell Orochimaru?" He let go of Kabuto, who immediately began coughing for air.

"It's my job you idiot," he spat. "It's yours too in case you forgot."

"Yeah well, my job is to train and get stronger so that I can destroy my brother. Once that's done, I'm finished with Orochimaru. If he doesn't get my body before I kill my brother then its too fucking bad because I promised someone that I'd be back for him and I always…ALWAYS keep my promises."

"Yeah, like the promise to protect the leaf village and your comrades…yada yada…"

"THAT WAS DIFFERENT!"

"Yeah if you say so," Kabuto scoffed. He stood to his feet glaring at the Uchiha. "Listen here, Sasuke, you have no idea what's been going on nor do you have any idea what's about to go down. I…I've found my way out in case things go wrong but have you? You need to focus on something other than finding that kit. He's in more trouble than you can possibly imagine and the only way you can even hope to save him is to stay focused."

"Yeah well what do you know?!"

"I know that you're already too late!"

"Wha…what do you…?" he stammered, glaring at Kabuto as if daring him to say Naruto was dead.

"Your…the information that I have for Orochimaru is that your brother has already found the kit."

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah. He knows where he's at and he's on his way to get him."

"I have to…where is Naruto? Do you have any idea where he's at?"

"Uh…no but…"

"YOU'RE LYING!" Sasuke snapped. "TELL ME WHERE HE'S AT OR I'LL SNAP YOUR NECK INTO PIECES!"

"He's…he's being kept in the…Sand Village, but you'll never be able to…" But Sasuke wasn't listening. He was too busy gathering his things to leave. "Sasuke, please listen to me. You…you don't need to go after him. You're only going to get yourself killed. You know full well that you're no match for Itachi. Besides, you've lost enough time as it is. Itachi's probably already there."

"Save it, Kabuto. I don't care. I'm going after Naruto. Orochimaru…look, I'll come back once I know that he's safe but I got this feeling…you would understand if you were me. I've lost any and everything that makes me happy but I haven't lost Naruto. Even though I beat the living hell out of him three years ago, he still came back for me. I loved him then and I love him now. I have to know that he's safe and I'll do whatever it takes to keep him that way." Sasuke tied the purple rope around his waist and grabbed his katana.

"Sasuke, I…" Kabuto let out a sigh as he watched the younger Uchiha ready himself. "I can't just let you walk out of here."

"Then don't. Fight me. I'll give you the fight of your life," he answered coolly. "But no one, not even Orochimaru is going to stand in the way of my destiny." Kabuto shook his head and started out the door. He paused for a moment before speaking again.

"You'll need to travel west if you hope to reach the Sand Village. I…if you leave now you may make it in time." Without another word, Kabuto left the room. Sasuke quickly took his leave out of the window with nothing of thoughts but his love. _I'm coming Naruto and Itachi, if you're there we'll finish this once and for all!_

--xx--

Kabuto started up the hall towards Orochimaru's chamber. His heart felt slightly heavier than usual and he was starting to sympathize with the Uchiha. He too knew what it was like to lose everything that mattered. The same thing happened to him years ago. His real parents didn't want him and left him near a river to die. He was found by a great medical ninja and was taught how to save lives as well and end up using them as a powerful medical ninjutsu. It wasn't long before his adopted father was killed and people shunned him. They thought he was a weird kid and wanted nothing to do with him. That's when he met Orochimaru.

Orochimaru picked up where his father left off, teaching him even more powerful medical techniques as well as treating him as if he were needed. Of course, not all relationships are perfect. It wasn't long before Orochimaru's ambitions got a little insane and he started treating him as nothing more than a tool. Kabuto stopped outside of Orochimaru's door and just stared at the ground. He had no idea what it felt like to love someone but he knew what it meant to admire someone. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small picture of Kakashi. _I wonder…_A wry grin formed across his lips before he turned on heel dashing up the hall. _Well…I might as well try…_

* * *

**AN: I know it's been a while since I updated but a girl's busy with work and all. Anyway, just to let you know, some of you are not going to like what I have planned for the ending. I mean, every story can't be all hugs and kisses and roses right? Yeah well, I am probably going to stick with the original ending that I had planned but who knows? It all depends on the direction this keeps going. Let's see…I have a more in depth story involving Kabuto and Kakashi. Just think of the tid bits in this story as teasers. If you haven't started reading 'Lusting for Trouble', now would be a good time to start. I see some of you like the idea of Gaara and Naruto while others like the idea of Sasuke and Naruto. Itachi is about to make his big debut so…te he he. But it'll be a while because I have no plans to update this one again this week since I need to update 'Unspoken Desires'. Yeah so you guys review if you want and if you didn't know, I appreciate all the love, support, criticism…everything. It means a lot and believe it or not, it helps keep me from being lazy. I get that way sometimes. Oh and one last thing, I have a new story that I'm writing. Yay! Well not really. I hesitate to post it because it is another attempt at YAOI and it's also a vamp fic. If you want to read the first chapter, it's on my myspace profile. Yes, I am Nefatiri so go go to my bio and add me to your myspace. The story is titled 'Nightwish' and it's posted in my blog. Comment if you like it and well...I might post it. Love you all and thanks for your continued support. It makes me a better writer. Ta Ta**


	17. Chapter 17

"Man, you two need to put some clothes on." Naruto and Gaara both woke up to find Kankuro staring down at them. Gaara's face immediately turned red once he realized where he was. Naruto kissed Gaara's lips before rolling off of him.

"You ever heard of knocking?" Naruto mumbled.

"Yeah I have and for your information I did knock – several times in fact but you two sleepy heads wouldn't answer. When Gaara doesn't answer I get worried." Naruto slid his shorts on and when Gaara started easing out of the bed, Naruto was right there holding his robe for him. The red head blushed as Naruto helped him dress while Kankuro just rolled his eyes.

"You two really are something else," he laughed.

"Kankuro, why exactly are you here?" Gaara asked.

"Oh yeah. You are wanted in the conference hall for a meeting. They said it was important."

"They always say that," he grumbled. "I have to take a shower first and then I'll meet them in an hour."

"Alright. We'll see you in a few," he grinned before heading out the room. When Kankuro left, Naruto slid his arms around the kazekage's waist holding him.

"You ready to get a shower beautiful?"

"Uh…yeah."

"I hope you don't mind but I'd rather shower with you," he grinned. He took Gaara's hand and led him out the door. Gaara couldn't help but to smile as they headed to the place where they first kissed. _That Naruto…_

**x-x-x**

Itachi stood outside the Sand Village gate staring at the sleeping guards. He had originally planned on slaughtering them all but decided against it at the last minute. He usually hated bloody, dramatic entrances. That was more or less Kisame's thing. Itachi was always one for silent killings and stealthy attacks. He took one last look around before heading inside the gate.

**x-x-x**

Gaara and Naruto went their separate ways after the shower. While Gaara headed for his meeting, Naruto headed outside to do some training. He was feeling great and could honestly say that he was happy for the first time in a long time. He headed for the training area and started off with some stretches and sit ups. Then he ran a few laps before doing some push ups.

An hour passed before he finally took a break, laying on top of some sand in a cool spot watching the clouds. He was happy. He felt great and most importantly, there were no worries about the Akatsuki or Orochimaru. He knew they were out there somewhere looking for him but he knew he'd be just fine as long as Gaara was by his side. He closed his eyes and thought about how cute and sweet Gaara had been as they made love. He could still hear his sweet whimpers and moans as he touched him in places he'd never been touched before.

"Gaara."

"Naruto." Naruto's eyes shot open and he jumped to his feet.

"Y…you. How'd you get in here?" he asked his voice shaking slightly. He took out his kunai readying for battle but his opponent showed no signs of fear. He merely shrugged and continued to eye him with those cold, cruel eyes he'd seen once before.

"I walked."

"But…how'd you get past all those guards?"

"I walked."

"You think you're being funny? Never mind that. Why are you here? How did you find me?"

"So many questions. You really are an idiot."

"Don't…don't call me an idiot." _He sounds too much like Sasuke and I don't like it._

"What's wrong with that? You are what you are. And to answer your question, I'm here to get you. As you know, you were my assigned target from the Akatsuki leader and I'm here to collect you. You've been running long enough. It's high time you face your destiny."

Naruto looked around wildly studying the area. There were normally guards perched on the balcony not too far from him but he didn't see them. There were no weapons around. All he had was his kunai since he'd left all his other things inside. Sand, sand, and more sand was all he had to use which wasn't much help. He was a kyuubi not a shukaku. _Dammit. This guy has the worst timing ever._ Naruto took a few steps back and made ready to create shadow clones but before he could do anything, Itachi was already behind him.

"You're still too slow Naruto. And to think I thought this time around you'd actually be worth the trouble." Three quick blows and Naruto fell to the ground. Itachi grabbed the boy, hoisted him over his shoulder and started towards the gate. Molded sand in the form of a knife whizzed by his head cutting his arm. _Gaara…_ He quickly turned to face his opponent looking him square in the eye. His mangekyo sharingan activated and Gaara immediately fell to earth. _He probably didn't know about my other sharingan…poor thing. Serves him right for putting his nose where it doesn't belong…_ He went over to the kazekage and hoisted him over his right shoulder. Then he hoisted Naruto over his left and slowly exited the village gate. _Too easy. And they tell me I'm too immature to be leader…_ He brushed the thought as he started away from the village.

x-x-x

Kabuto watched as Itachi carried the boys away from the sand village. _I knew he'd beat Sasuke here. _Of course, he would have beat him anyway since he gave Sasuke the long way to go instead of the short cut, but it was for Sasuke's own good. He was still far from ready to face his older brother in a showdown to the death and the way Kabuto saw it, he was doing Sasuke a favor. Plus, Itachi had no intention of turning Naruto over to the Akatsuki just yet. He wanted to keep the kit for himself as a prize among other things. As for Gaara, he had no idea why he was taking the kazekage but Kabuto supposed he did it because he could. _That arrogant bastard. If he's not careful, his ego's going to get him killed. _Kabuto let out a sigh before hurrying down to meet his master.

"Kabuto. You're late."

"I'm sorry but your brother is starting to become a bit of a pest. He tried to kill me just now."

"For…"

"Not telling him about Naruto. You know, I think he really loves that kid." Kabuto took Naruto from Itachi and hoisted him over his shoulder.

"Maybe but I can't understand why. He's ok looking for a blonde but he's not very bright. He's loud, obnoxious, and very…"

"Much like Sasuke," he finished. Itachi cut him this disgusted look but Kabuto only shrugged. "You can look like that all you want but they are more alike than you think. Why do you think they are considered rivals? Sasuke is the smarter of the two but he's just like Naruto in every other way. He can be loud, obnoxious, arrogant, and well…he doesn't think. He'll rush into any battle without thinking which is bad. The idiot gets that from him."

"Yes but how do you grow to love someone you spent so many years trying to best? I'm sure they must have hated each other so why the sentimentalism all of a sudden?"

"I don't know. Their relationship is a hard one to figure out. One could say it proves that love can blossom even in the least likely of places under the strangest of circumstances. Better watch out Itachi. Otherwise you too might fall in love."

"Yeah right. Don't make me put you out of your misery before your time. And just because you're stalking Kakashi doesn't mean I'm going to start stalking anyone. I'll never love anyone. I love myself and only myself." Kabuto looked a little taken back but he didn't argue. He didn't want to piss Itachi off anymore than he already had. Unlike Orochimaru, Itachi's temper was far worse which is saying a lot.

"Uh…right." _Yeah, we'll see Itachi._ _Even I grew a soft spot for the kit at one point but now, I have my eyes on a bigger prize. One that I'm sure I'll never own completely._

**x-x-x**

Sasuke arrived at the Sand Village gate two hours later. He was hot, sweaty, and completely out of breath but he didn't care. He needed to know that Naruto was still hidden safely behind the walls of the Sand Village. He looked up past the gate at the guards positioned around the area. They were standing guard as usual as if nothing had happened or nothing was going on. _Everything seems normal._ Sasuke studied the area carefully. He was trying to find a weak area in their defenses so that he could maybe break in but much to his dismay, there were no weak spots. That place was being guarded like a fortress but who could blame them? Their shinobi numbers were probably half of what Konoha's were so it would make sense for them to have the outside completely guarded. _If it's this guarded how exactly would my brother get inside? He's human too so there's just no way he could get in there._

"Yeah, right. He destroyed our entire clan without breaking a sweat. I'm sure he could get in here," he mumbled. He walked around the fortress being careful to keep his distance so that he wouldn't be seen but everything was just too completely guarded. _If I'm seen then I'm sure I'll have to fight…More than likely I'll have to fight Gaara again. Ugh…I don't have time for this! _Sasuke sat down in the sand to think. _Alright. I can wait out here until the change of shift but…Naruto's probably still inside and won't come out. But he usually trains during this time of day._ Sasuke stood up and studied the guards again. That's when he noticed something. _They're all…the same…but…_ As he studied them closer, he realized that all of their movements were completely in sync. _That's impossible!_ He quickly scaled the wall and landed on the ledge. It was as if the guards didn't even notice him. _It's genjutsu! The bastard!_

"RELEASE!" The genjutsu dispelled and he was horrified at what he saw. All of them. Every last one of the guards had been slaughtered. Most of them their heads had been severed. The others were not quite dead but he was certain they were probably still locked in his brother's special genjutsu. _I'll release them before I go._ He hurried past the guards into the palace. He was immediately stopped by one of the guards.

"Hey you! Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Look, I'm…"

"Wait a sec. Aren't you Sasuke?"

"No, please don't…"

"GUARDS!" That was all he was able to get out before Sasuke stabbed him in the side.

"I really am sorry but…it's for your own good." He ran past the guard stopping at the end of the hallway. He peeped around the corner and saw Temari and Kankuro conversing outside what looked like a conference room. _If they see me, they'll attack but from the looks of things, they have no idea what's going on._ Sasuke tossed a kunai at them and quickly hid behind the wall. A few seconds later they came running up the hall.

"Hey guys!" They turned and Kankuro was instantly on Sasuke, clasping his throat with his hand.

"What are **YOU** doing here? No, better yet, scratch that. I'll just send you to Konoha and have them deal with you." Sasuke tried to loosen his grip and even though he could have easily gotten away, he didn't want to hurt them…not really. All he cared about was Naruto and he was going to do whatever it took to get him back.

"Where's…Naruto?" he gasped.

"As if we'd tell you," Temari huffed. "You're the very reason why he's here."

"But…have you seen him…lately?" He was starting to fade fast so he kneed Kankuro in the stomach and held a kunai at his throat. "I don't want to fight you guys. I just…I think my brother's been here and if so then Naruto's already gone."

"Why would your brother be here? And what's it to you? You don't give a damn about Naruto! If you did then you wouldn't have betrayed your village and your comrades!" Temari shouted.

"Look, I'm sorry you feel that way but I had my reasons. I want to destroy my brother."

"Yeah but didn't you fail the first two times? What makes you think by betraying your comrades and working for that snake will help you accomplish such a task this time around?" Sasuke was past his limit. His patience had long worn off and he knew he didn't have time to argue. His entire body lit up and he withdrew his katana pointing it straight at Temari. He pressed the kunai knife closer to Kankuro's neck making him gasp.

"Please…do not piss me off. Do you really want to see what I've accomplished?" Both shinobi just stood there silently glaring at the Uchiha.

"Go away Sasuke. We're not handing Naruto over to you and I highly doubt Gaara will let you have him either. Our job is to protect the kit no matter what and we're prepared to die doing it," Temari said softly. Her voice had begun to waver because she knew if they fought the Uchiha there was a good chance that they'd die in battle. Sasuke let out an annoyed sigh before withdrawing his weapons.

"If you cooperate then that won't be necessary."

"Well too fucking bad because…"

"Dammit Temari! Will you just shut the hell up and hear me out?!" he hissed. "Most of your guards outside have been slaughtered. A majority of them have had their heads severed and I can assure you I didn't do it. Some of the others are trapped in genjutsu, and a damn powerful one at that." Both Kankuro and Temari exchanged annoyed looks.

"I…I don't…believe you," Temari stammered.

"Oh?" he asked raising an eyebrow. "Fine then. Then how pretell do you think I managed to get in here? I can assure you that I did not fight off all those guards on my own. In fact, the only reason I showed up here was because Kabuto told me that my brother was on his way here. I expected to run into my brother but it would seem he's already come and gone."

"Sasuke, we've had about enough of this. Temari, go and get Gaara will you? Let him deal with this. You should not have lowered your weapon Sasuke." Kankuro's puppet Crow grabbed Sasuke from behind holding him into place. The Uchiha struggled to get free but it was no use. They were like that for several minutes, each shinobi glaring at the other. Finally Kankuro broke the uncomfortable silence.

"You don't deserve him you know."

"Deserve who?"

"Naruto. You don't deserve someone like him but Gaara…Gaara's more than deserving and I'm sure he'll treat Naruto a lot better than you could ever treat him." Sasuke frowned at this statement but then his frown quickly turned to a smile.

"Well it doesn't matter what you think. Naruto loves me and he understands me. You guys could never hope to understand the relationship I have with him."

"Oh I understand. More than you think Uchiha and I think the kit finally understands as well."

"Whatever."

"Yeah well, I think by being here with Gaara, he's realized that he doesn't have to sit around waiting for you to come around and you know what? I think he's over you now."

"Whatever Kankuro," he smirked. _What does he know? Naruto loves me. He tries to play it off but I know deep down he loves me. Yeah, maybe I should have treated him better but…this couldn't be helped. I have to destroy my brother._

"Well if he wasn't completely over you then he and Gaara would not have made love last night." Sasuke's body began to shake uncontrollably with fury. His eyes flashed dangerously and even Kankuro got scared for just a second.

"You…lie," he said softly. His voice was low and dangerous making Kankuro extremely uncomfortable. _Maybe I shouldn't have said that…Can he really get away from Crow?_ "Tell me Kankuro. Tell me that you were lying." Sasuke easily broke away from Crow and whipped out his katana. His body lit up and he sent electrical currents through his sword. His sharingan eyes were flaring as he slowly approached the older shinobi.

"KANKURO! KANKURO!" Both boys turned to see Temari running up the hall. Her face was flushed as if she had been crying.

"Temari…Temari what's…"

"HE'S GONE! GAARA…GAARA'S GONE!"

"What!? Are…are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. I have guards searching the place for him but…" She began sobbing and Kankuro pulled her into a hug.

"Look, I'm…I'm sorry but…Temari please…tell me where Naruto is," Sasuke pleaded. She pulled away from Kankuro and eyed him sadly. Immediately Sasuke's heart sank.

"I'm…sorry too…Sasuke," she whispered.

"Oh…God," he cried. _I was too late. Dammit I was too late!_

"Kankuro, he…he was right. The guards…all of them…heads clean off," she managed.

"This is bad. This is…this is really bad," he stammered. "We're so dead. We…we have…"

"Oh no. You two need to get a grip," Sasuke yelled. "If you walk around here pretending to be so helpless then you need not call yourselves shinobi. Now look, first thing you probably need to do is alert the hokage so that Kakashi and whoever else they decide to send can start searching for him. I have to go," he grumbled.

"Wait Sasuke. We can't just let you walk out of here? When Kakashi gets here you know they're going to ask questions. You're…a wanted ninja. We could get in serious trouble if…" Sasuke quickly whipped out his katana and cut Temari in her side. Before Kankuro could even think to react, Sasuke was behind him stabbing him in his left side.

"Now you have an excuse," he grumbled before heading out the door.


	18. Chapter 18

"Hokage-sama!" The door of Tsunade's office burst open and in came Shizune running, panting, almost out of breath. Tsunade stood to her feet frowning slightly.

"Um…Shizune? What in the world…?"

"Oh it's bad," she said quickly. "Sand Village…Naruto…"

"Wait. Slow down Shizune. Now what happened? What about the Sand Village? Is everything alright?" Shizune shook her head.

"No Hokage-sama. They…Naruto's been taken…"

"WHAT?!? HOW?!?! WHERE WAS GAARA?!" she yelled.

"Uh…they got him too," she winced.

"Dammit! Who sent word of about this?" Shizune held up the scroll that she's been carrying and Tsunade snatched it from her.

"The letter had been signed by Temari. There was one other thing in the letter…"

"Sasuke. They had a run in with Sasuke too?"

"Yeah but according to the letter, he supposedly had nothing to do with it. In fact, they said he was there to fetch the kit but when he got there, Naruto was already missing."

"Ahh…I see," she said softly. She continued to read over the letter with a grim expression on her face. After a while, she looked up biting her lower lip.

"Ho…Hokage-sama?"

"They seem to think it was Itachi and when you think about how it was done, I suppose it makes sense to suspect him but…" Tsunade stood to her feet and started towards the window. She looked out over her village twisting her brow as if in deep thought. _Does he really have the power to accomplish such a feat? To have kidnapped both jinchuriki on his own…Uchiha Itachi… _Tsunade suddenly turned to Shizune.

"Go and fetch Jiraiya and Kakashi. We have to discuss this right now. In the meantime, send word back to Temari that I will be sending a group to meet her in three days time. We're going to have to take action. Dismissed!"

x-x-x-x-x

When Naruto came to, he realized that he was not in the Kazekage's room. He looked around the dark room and noticed that it was quite small and bare. He made way to stand to his feet but then he realized that he couldn't move. _What the…?_ He was sitting in a chair made of wood that had been positioned against the stone walls and he was chained to it. His ankles had chains around them and his arms had been chained behind his back to the wall. _Dammit! How did I…?_ But then he remembered making his blood boil. _Itachi. Uchiha Itachi._ The room was dimly lit and as he studied the room, he realized that it was like a mini jail cell. There were no windows; only a door, a potty, a small bed, and a small, square shaped table with a single candle that had been lit.

"You're finally awake." Naruto jumped at the sound of the Uchiha's voice. It was like he all of a sudden just appeared in the room. Naruto looked up at him and frowned. Itachi let out a low chuckle as he approached the blonde. He stood ominously over him staring at him with his piercing red eyes.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked.

"I already have what I want," he answered softly.

"Yeah well you know I won't be here long right? That pervy sage will come for me."

"And so will Sasuke but do you think I care?"

"Sasuke?" _What does Sasuke have to do with this?_

"Oh yes. When Kabuto informed him about your disappearance, he practically lost his mind. Now he's out there somewhere desperately searching for his beloved Naruto," he chuckled. Naruto stared up at him his eyes filled with malice.

"You lie." Itachi just shrugged.

"Why would I lie to you? It's not like I'm the one head over heels for a no talent shinobi such as yourself. Besides, I highly doubt this bit of info matters to you anyway. Since you have connected with Gaara in a way that you and Sasuke have not, I'm sure my little brother is the least of your concerns."

"Why you…" Naruto wanted to lunge at his enemy but alas he could not. He was chained tightly to the chair and wall so he could barely move at all. Itachi just smirked as he kneeled in front of the kit, his eyes gleaming playfully.

"Did I touch a nerve…Naruto?" Naruto only turned his head angrily, staring at a spot on the wall. Itachi grabbed the kit's chin and jerked his head around, forcing the kit to look at him. "You are all my brother thinks about you know and then you go and sleep with someone else. You should be ashamed."

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT MY RELATIONSHIP WITH SASUKE AND YOU NEVER WILL! IF ANYTHING…IF ANYTHING IT'S YOUR FAULT THAT HE LEFT TO BEGIN WITH!"

"My fault?" he scoffed.

"YES YOUR FAULT!" Naruto was nearing the point of tears yet he didn't know why. He loved Gaara. That he was sure of but at the same time, the very thought – the very mention of Sasuke's name - was still enough to awaken emotions that he'd buried deep beneath his feelings for Gaara. Itachi slapped Naruto across the face and then smirk.

"Get a grip you pathetic little worm. My brother came out of hiding to search for you and for what? If he does somehow manage to find you without being killed first, he's going to find that you are with someone else."

"What's it to you?" Naruto spat. "You never once cared about Sasuke. If you did, ou never would have slaughtered the very people who…" Again, Itachi drew back and slapped Naruto as hard as he could in the face. Then he took out a kunai and quickly grazed the side of his face drawing blood. Naruto saw Itachi's eyes flash dangerously and for a moment he felt terrified to death.

"You know _**nothing**_ about my past. You only know what you **think** you know because of what you've been told." His voice was cold and filled with malice causing the blonde to shudder a little. Itachi reached over and ran a finger across the blood stained cut in his cheek and scoffed. "My brother's out of hiding risking his life to save a simpleminded brat like yourself and what thanks does he get?" Itachi cast him another cold glare before disappearing from the room. When he was gone, Naruto threw his head back and cried. He had no idea why he was crying but for some strange reason, he could not help himself. And so he cried…and cried until he soon fell asleep again with Sasuke on his mind. _Sasuke…_

**F-L-A-S-H-B-A-C-K**

Naruto sat in his swing and just stared at the ground sadly. All the other ninjas in the village were too busy to do anything with him. He'd asked Sakura to hang out and maybe do some target practice but that went terribly wrong. She assumed that he wanted a date and proceeded to scream at him for no apparent reason in public embarrassing the hell out of him. He made a mental note to never ask Sakura for anything unless he was dying. He wandered around the village and helped a few older ladies with their groceries and earned enough money for some Ichi Raku Ramen but he wasn't in the mood to eat. _All I want is someone to talk to… _Naruto had no idea how long he'd been swinging. In fact, he didn't recall ever kicking off the ground but he was swinging. The swing swooped back and then he was off again, swinging high into the air for someone was pushing him. He never turned around to see who it was. After a while, he began feeling a little nauseated and then came the chills from the cool air. The sun was setting and he figured it was high time he got back home. He suddenly sneezed and then the swing stopped; his -somebody- having stopped pushing him in the swing.

Naruto stood up and yawned. He was getting sleepy now. When you've been bored all day sleep just seemed to come naturally. Naruto turned around to say goodbye to his…whoever it was and found Sasuke standing there staring at the ground. Naruto opened his mouth to say something but then closed it just as quickly. He had no idea what to say to Sasuke and thanking him would seem…weird. Sasuke looked up and spoke softly.

"I'll walk you home." Naruto nodded and then they started off down the familiar path to Naruto's place. Both boys remained silent during the short walk. When they finally reached Naruto's place, they both stopped in front of the door and paused. Naruto looked over at Sasuke who was staring off into the distance. _Well…we've both always been sort of loners. He lives alone and I live alone so…I wonder if I should…_

"Um…well, I know you and I don't always get alone but…I guess I ought to thank you for keeping me company today," he grinned nervously. He reached up and scratched the back of his neck nervously while staring at the ground.

"It's cool," was all he said. "Well, I guess I'll get going. Good night Naruto." Sasuke started off into the night and for the first time in his life, he realized that he did not wish to be alone tonight.

"Uh…say Sasuke?" The boy stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder. Naruto hesitated for a moment because he was afraid. _Still it wouldn't hurt to ask…_ "Uh…it's a long walk back to your place and uh…I was thinking maybe you could just…crash here for the night? I mean, you don't have to," he added quickly. "I just…"

"I'll stay." Naruto looked up and their eyes met. For some reason, Naruto felt his face flush but he dismissed the feeling. He unlocked the door and led Sasuke inside the nearly empty apartment. There were empty ramen packs scattered about the living room floor but other than that, the place was fairly clean. Naruto led Sasuke up a small set of stairs to his desolate looking room. Inside the room was an inflatable bed, a dresser, one window that had a small vase with a daisy in it sitting on the window sill, and a small bedside desk. Sitting on the desk was a lamp and one small picture frame. Inside that frame was a shot of team seven after their first successful A rank mission. Naruto turned to Sasuke and grinned.

"Uh…well, you can take the bed if you want. I don't mind sleeping on the floor."

"Naa, you take the bed. I'm cool." Both boys began peeling off pieces of clothing until they were both just in boxers. Naruto handed Sasuke a blanket from his top drawer and then both boys settled in for the night. Naruto took the bed and Sasuke made a pallet on the floor next to the bed. Naruto turned off the lights and both boys just laid there trying to get to sleep. After a while, Naruto was finally dozing off to sleep when he heard something. It was small coughs, almost like hiccups coming from the floor. Naruto rolled over and looked down at the floor where he saw Sasuke twitching. Naruto eased off of the bed and crawled over to Sasuke shaking him lightly.

"Sa…Sasuke? Sasuke what's wrong?" Sasuke was curled tightly in a ball and he was…_crying_? Naruto had never seen Sasuke so defenseless and just looking at him made Naruto want to cry as well. Naruto managed to peel Sasuke's arms apart and the raven haired boy sat up. He didn't think about what he was doing. He just grabbed Naruto and threw his arms around him, crying on his shoulder. Naruto slowly returned the embrace and then cried as well. It was like he could feel Sasuke's pain and it was rubbing off on him.

After a while, Sasuke's crying was reduced to small sobs and he managed to pull away from the blonde. They were both trapped in an awkward silence, neither quite knowing what to make of the situation or what to say of it for that matter.

"Na…Naruto?"

"Uh…hmm?"

"Can I…sleep…with you?" The sudden question took him off guard but he didn't have the heart to say no.

"Sure," he managed. Naruto climbed onto his bed and slid all the way over to the end where he turned to his side to face the wall, doing his best to leave Sasuke as much space as possible. Sasuke crawled in under the covers after him and it was feel of the warmth that took the kit by surprise. Sasuke fit his body behind the kit's and tossed an arm around him. He breathed in the scent of Naruto as he pulled him closer.

"Thank you Naruto."

"Anytime." Sasuke buried his face in the back of Naruto's neck and a few minutes later he was sound asleep.


End file.
